Unlikely
by Harlequin in chains
Summary: Mass effect 2 story line. Sheppard/Garrus pairing. Garrus realizes his feeling for Sheppard when she comes back from the dead. Rated for content and language.
1. Recruiting Archangel

Ok this is my very first fanfic ever, please review! Flames welcome :)

lemon in later chapters.

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**~unlikely~**

Garrus popped the heat sink on his sniper rifle. He knew his ammo wasn't as endless as the waves of mercs seemed to be. He lined up another head shot and felt the kick back push against his shoulder. Looking over the makeshift wall at the other end of the bridge, he saw the mechanic working on the gunship he took down the other day. He cursed inwardly that it was almost finished.

Garrus sighed as he watched another group of freelancers walk behind the wall. He counted three, one salarian, one tall dark human male, and a woman with reddish brown hair pulled into a ponytail. He didn't have a clear shot at any of them, but he couldn't help but study the woman who appeared to lead the group. There was something about her that seemed familiar.

She stood with such an air of authority, a confidence that he hadn't seen… for two years. Had it only been that long? He felt like it had been much longer than two measly years since the Normandy. His stomach grew cold as he remembered that day.

_Garrus had been repairing the mako when they were hit. He rushed to the escape pods and helped any crew members he saw along the way. After being launched in an escape pod with miscellaneous crew whose names he couldn't remember, he contacted the other pods via the built in radio. He learned that most of the crew got out, but after talking to Kaiden in the other pod; he discovered that Sheppard had stayed behind to get Joker. After a few tense moments another escape pod was launched, and the Normandy's wreckage was pulled into the planet's atmosphere. Joker's voice came crackling over the radio from the last pod. He said the he and Sheppard got separated and she didn't make it._

_Everything had gone downhill from there. The crew split up, everyone going their separate ways. The council spitting on Sheppard's memory, and denouncing her claims about the Reapers. It had been hell. Garrus had taken her death really hard; he always had a huge amount of respect for the commander and a certain affection towards her. One that was probably inappropriate to feel for a colleague. With her gone, he had felt cold and empty. Like there was a huge black hole in his chest, compressing and tearing him apart from the inside out. _

A bullet glancing off the window ledge tore him out of his musings. He killed five more mercs before popping the heat sink again. He looked for the new group again, and the woman who had sparked his memory.

She was talking to the mechanic over by the gun ship, and Garrus still couldn't see her face. The mechanic set down a tool of some kind and turned to tend to the ship; Garrus saw her pick up the tool and shove it into the mechanic's back knocking him unconscious. Why did she do that? It made no sense-

Garrus never finished his thought because the women had turned around. His breath caught as he looked at her fierce green eyes. Eyes that had haunted his dreams for months after the attack on the Normandy.

She still had the same determined expression, that same face, same eyes, same hair. It was Sheppard.

Why was she here? Or more importantly how was she alive? His thought his heart would hammer out of his chest as he watched her start to make her way across the bridge. Mercs were leading the way and it didn't take Garrus long to figure out she was posing as a freelancer to get past the gangs. He shot a few concussive rounds near her group, careful not to do anymore than take down her shields.

As Jane Sheppard reached the other side of the bridge, she started firing at the mercs ahead of her. She didn't blame Archangel for firing at her. He hadn't done any damage and she knew he probably thought she was just another person sent to kill him. She hoped that he would give her a chance to talk before trying to kill her. From what information the Illusive Man could give her, this "Archangel" was pretty impressive, taking on all of Omega's worst and assembling a team of his own to help fight crime.

She couldn't wait to meet him.

Garrus watched her enter the building and focused back on the mercs still trying to get across the bridge. He heard her come down the hall and enter the room behind him. He took off his helmet and turned to face her, unsure of what her reaction might be. She looked shocked for a second and then a slow smile spread across her face.

"Garrus!" she said, stepping forward and opening her arms wide. "What are you doing here?"

She watched him sit on the crates, propping the sniper rifle up against his leg. "Just keeping my skills sharp, a little target practice." He replied, in that wonderfully deep voice of his that she missed. She was surprised to realize just how much she missed him. Even though, in her mind they hadn't even been separated that long. When the Illusive man told her that his whereabouts were unknown, she had been worried. She knew there was nothing she could do about it at the time but that didn't stop her from thinking about him.

"Are you ok?" she asked. He seemed tired, or lost.

"Been better, but it sure is good to see a friendly face." He said meeting her eyes. "Killing mercs is hard work… especially on my own."

She wanted to tell him that he wasn't on his own anymore, but she didn't think it was the time. "Well, we got here," she said "But I don't think it'll be as easy getting out."

Garrus stood. "No it won't, that bridge has saved my life. Funneling all those witless idiots into scope, but… it works both ways. They'll slaughter us if we try to get out that way." He picked up his rifle and moved towards the window. "But it's not all that bad, this place has held them off so far… and the three of you," looking at each of her companions, "I suggest we hold this location, wait for a crack in their defenses, take our chances." He looked at her standing next to him, her bright green eyes connecting with his. "It's not a perfect plan… but it's a plan." She nodded, her eyes flicking to the bridge.

"If we fight as a team, we'll hold them off." She said. Garrus almost smiled, she hadn't changed at all. "You're right." He said. "Their numbers won't help them in here anyway." He moved towards the window, "Let's see what they're up to…"he said looking through the scope.

"Hmm… looks like they know they're infiltration team failed… Take a look." He handed the sniper rifle to Sheppard and watched her look through the scope. "Scouts," he explained "eclipse I think."

He looked out the window at the MECs starting to cross the bridge. Suddenly, the rifle fired and one of the MECs head exploded. Garrus watched her as she cocked the rifle again then handed it to him. "Looks like more than scouts," she said "One less now though." She smirked at him, almost a playful challenge. He thought his heart would stop. They were in a life or death situation and she was playing, making it a game. But then again, she was always like that, always a bright light in the darkest of places. "Indeed" he managed. "We better get ready."

And with that they took out mercs as they tried to cross the bridge. Garrus sniped from his position by the window, and whenever there was a lull in the battle he would steal glances at her. He studied her profile, watching the recoil from her gun cause her ponytail to sway. He wanted to run his hand through it, he still remembered how soft it was.

_It had been just before the mission to Ferros, and after a mission on an unexplored planet on which Sheppard had completely trashed the Mako yet again. She was leaning against it while Garrus was working on the wheel._

"_I said I was sorry…" she said crouching next to him as he picked up another tool. He glared at her sideways. _

"_I still don't understand WHY you couldn't just find another route AROUND the mountains." He growled as he managed to pry more debris from the undercarriage. She sighed and sat down on the floor leaning her back against one of the already fixed wheels, and resting her arms on her knees. "That takes too long… besides its so much more fun just to go over," she leaned past him to look closer at the damage, her ponytail near his face. Garrus looked at it, curious to see what it would feel like. It looked soft and shiny… maybe it was as soft as it looked or maybe it was course and stiff._

_It was several seconds before he realized that she had stopped looking at the Mako and was now watching him stare at her ponytail. He noticed her lips were pressed tightly together._

_She was trying not to laugh._

"_You can touch it Garrus." _

_If he could blush he would have been ten shades of red. "Ah… no that's alright commander." _

_She rolled her eyes. "Just touch it. It's not like it's going to bite you or anything." _

_He went back to work. "No really, it's fine." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sheppard reach behind her head and take out her ponytail. Her red-brown hair flowed around her shoulders._

"_Seriously, if you're curious about it, it's not like it's a big deal or anything." She took the tool out of his hands and set it on the garage floor. Grabbing his wrist, she gently moved his hand into her hair just above her shoulder._

_He paused in surprise then moved his hand from its current position all the way down to the ends of her hair then repeated the process. The silky strands slid around his talons like water and he wrapped his hand in it. It was even softer than it looked, he didn't want to let go._

_She laughed. "Is your curiosity satisfied then?" _

_He looked into her sparkling green eyes and slowly slid his hand out of her hair. Something passed over her face that he didn't quite recognize. _

_She smiled and put her hair back again. "I should get back to the bridge, and again I'm really REALLY sorry about the Mako."_

_Garrus watched as she made her way to the elevator and smiled at him before the doors closed. He looked at his hand and he knew that he would never forget that feeling. _

An explosion rocked the building and brought him back to reality.

"What the hell was that?"Sheppard asked.

Garrus started typing in his Omni tool "Damn it. They've breached the lower levels… well they had to use their brains eventually." He glanced at Sheppard. "You'd better get down there, I'll keep the bridge clear."

"Let's split up two and two. Keep one of my team here." There was no way she was leaving him to fend for himself.

"You sure?" he asked "who knows what you'll find down there." He didn't like the idea of her going down there without enough back up.

She turned to the Salarian. "Mordin, stay with Garrus, keep him alive."

"Thanks Sheppard, you better get going." Garrus knew they were running out of time if they were going to get through this.

Sheppard and Jacob made their way through the basement closing the shutters and decimating the mercs. She wanted to hurry and get back to Garrus to make sure he was ok. As she ascended the stairs she heard the familiar hum of an engine.

Garrus felt his stomach drop as the gunship rose into view. He started firing at its weak spots, trying desperately to do as much damage as possible. Suddenly the ship open fired, ripping through his shields and decimating his armor. As he fell into a pool of his own blood he couldn't help but think how ironic it was that as soon as Sheppard had come back from the dead, it looked like he was going to die. A fierce wave of determination swept through him. There was no way he was going to just die after reuniting with Sheppard...no… Jane. After finally getting to see Jane again, he refused to die.

He opened his eyes slowly; he didn't remember closing them… Garrus saw Sheppard above him looking scared and angry. She was yelling into her radio but he couldn't understand what she was saying. He vaguely realized that his translator must have been damaged. She had her hands on him and she looked like she was going to cry. Something in him didn't understand, why was she so upset? She seemed desperate… was it possible that she felt the same way he did? No, he thought, she was just concerned for her friend. For her to feel as strongly as he did would be very unlikely.

The last sight he saw was her panicked face as he faded into blackness.


	2. Recovery

So I spelled Shepard wrong in the first chapter and I apologize :( but I'll spell it right from here on out, I promise.

this chapter is a little shorter than the first one, enjoy!

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Garrus slowly opened his eyes, then shut them tightly again against the offensively bright lighting.

"Good to see you awake Garrus." A female voice said next to him. He turned his head then immediately regretted the movement, suddenly feeling nauseous. Dr. Chakwas stood smiling down at him, "How are you feeling?" she asked, checking the monitors beeping over his shoulder.

"I've definitely felt better." He grunted trying to sit up. Dr. Chakwas tried to stop him but he just shrugged her off. After the room stopped spinning he looked at the doctor again.

"What happened? Where's Shepard?" Garrus asked, noticing while speaking that the right side of his face was not exactly working. He reached up and felt the metal plate that was holding the muscles and tendons together.

Dr. Chakwas crossed her arms looking every bit like a mother scolding a child. "What happened was you nearly died. When the commander brought you on board, you were seriously injured. Shepard told me you went head to head with a gun ship? What were you thinking?"

Garrus sighed. "It wasn't exactly by choice, Doctor."

Chakwas made a noise in the back of her throat like she didn't believe him. "Well, you had her worried sick. I had to send her away before she paced a hole through the floor."

Garrus was surprised. She didn't mean the Commander did she? The surprise must have shown on his face because the doctor started speaking again.

"Oh don't act so shocked. After all the time you two spent together on the other Normandy, of course she would be upset. You both were very close."

Garrus was suddenly overcome by the urge to go find Shepard. He started to stand but Chakwas put a hand on his arm. "Look," she said "I know I can't stop you from walking out of here but there are some things that you should know."

She went on to explain about Cerberus bringing Shepard to life, the Illusive man and the new Normandy.

Garrus couldn't believe it, Cerberus? What was she thinking? Cerberus was one fucked up organization with crazy experiments and corrupt leaders. But he trusted Shepard, and as long as she was the one in command, he could deal with it. After getting the directions from the Chakwas he made his way to the elevator. Once the door closed he realized that he never actually looked at the damage to his face.

Oh well, he could just ask Shepard when he saw her.

Jacob watched Shepard walk from one end of the conference room to the other, and back again. Whenever her back was turned he would look appreciatively over her form. Maybe he could get her alone sometime and-

Shepard stopped and braced her hands on the table. She fought the urge to glare at Jacob; did he really think she couldn't tell what he was doing? "Any word?" she asked trying to keep her voice level.

The sound of her voice seemed to wake him up. "We've done everything we could, Commander, but he took a bad hit."

Her stomach dropped. What did that mean? Did that mean he wouldn't fully recover?

Jacob continued. "The docs corrected with some surgical procedures and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality but…" The doors slid open.

Shepard turned and saw Garrus standing in the doorway. His blue armor was destroyed on the right side from the neck up. His right jaw covered with a metal plate and what wasn't covered by the plate was badly scarred.

Garrus nodded to her. "Shepard."

Just one word and he seemed so calm. Did that mean it was weird that she wanted to run up and hug him?

Jacob spoke next to her. "Tough son-of-a-bitch, I didn't think he'd be up yet."

Garrus started walking towards her. "Nobody gave me a mirror… How bad is it?"

It was bad. She knew, _HE _knew it was bad. She tried to but herself in his situation, what would she want if she was the one scarred?

She would want someone to make a joke.

She smiled "Hell you were always ugly Garrus, slap a little face paint on there and no one will ever notice."

To her delight he actually laughed. "Heh, oh… don't make me laugh. Damn my face is barely holding together as it is. Besides, some women find scars attractive… Mind you, most of those women are Krogan."

She just smiled and shook her head. There was really nothing else to say. She turned to Jacob and he saluted her then left the room. As soon as he was out the door Garrus turned to her.

"Frankly I'm more worried about you." He said. "I've heard bad things about Cerberus these past few years."

She leaned against the table. "That's why I'm glad you're here Garrus, If I'm walking into hell I want someone I trust at my side." She meant it, probably on a level that she wasn't exactly comfortable exploring at the moment.

"You realize this plan has me walking into hell too. Hmm, just like old times."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to it.

"I'm fit for duty whenever you need me, Shepard. I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries." And he left her standing in the conference room.

Garrus stepped into the elevator, pushed the button for the third deck. He sighed and leaned his head against the wall. Why did hearing her say that she trusted him make his heart jump to his throat?

When he had first entered the room he noticed her face was drawn from lack of sleep. She really had been worried about him. Then when she had said she wanted him by her side when she went through hell, he made a joke. When he had wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and say he would follow her anywhere.

The elevator doors opened and he walked around towards the gun battery. He got a few strange looks from the crew but just ignored them. It wasn't any different than when he'd first started on the original Normandy. He just looked forward to when she would come down and talk to him like she used to, if she even wanted to… Maybe that wasn't too much to hope for.


	3. Awkward moments

This chapter was alot of fun to write. I hope you enjoy it! :)

P.S. Thank you so much for the positive comments!

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Shepard spent the next day scanning planets for supplies. She spent five hours launching probes into planets, but after three hours she was seriously considering eating her pistol.

After finishing the umpteenth planet, she made her way down to the mess hall for some coffee. It was late so she didn't expect anyone to be there. To her surprise Kelly was sitting at one of the tables reading a data pad. Shepard grabbed some went to the kitchen and started filling one of the mugs.

"What are you doing up this late Kelly?" she asked, looking over her shoulder. Kelly seemed startled, like she didn't know she wasn't alone until now.

"Oh! Hello Commander, I was just reading the mission report for Omega." She said setting down the data pad.

Shepard turned around and walked over to Kelly's table. Taking a sip from her coffee she smiled at the Yeoman. "What's so special about the mission to Omega?"

She glanced at the data pad again and then leaned forward on her arms, like she was getting ready to tell a secret. "Well, I'm really interested in Garrus."

Shepard felt her stomach lurch, and was confused by her own reaction.

"What do you mean?" she asked sparing a glance at the gun battery.

The door was open and Garrus had his back to them, typing and presumably checking algorithms. But she knew that Turrian hearing was much better than human hearing, so what Kelly might think was out of earshot, would actually be well within hearing range for Garrus.

She took a sip of coffee and waited for Kelly to answer. Maybe what she was going to say would be totally innocent?

Kelly smiled. "For one thing, he's totally sexy."

Shepard started coughing having partially inhaled some of her drink. Kelly however, continued speaking.

"Plus there's his voice, can you imagine what it would be like to hear him moan?"

Shepard had to warn her. "Kelly…"

"Oh! And I heard Turrians have a higher body temperature so he would be nice and warm at night."

"Kelly."

"Not to mention, I saw in this one issue of 'Fornax' that they have huge-"

Shepard slapped her hands on the table. "KELLY! For the love of God, please stop talking." She was mortified. She could feel how hot her face was and she knew she must be bright red.

Kelly smiled. "Shepard, are you uncomfortable talking about sex?"

Jane sighed heavily. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd been more embarrassed. Sure in her early years in the military, the other cadets played pranks on each other but that led her to feel more vengeful then embarrassed. Nope, this pretty much took the cake.

She took a deep breath and tried to find the right words. "Kelly, it isn't the subject of sex that I can't handle." Shepard started rubbing her temples… she suddenly had a head ache. "It's the fact that Garrus heard everything you just said."

Kelly had the grace to blush. "But he's so far away…" they both looked in the direction of the gun battery and saw Garrus with his hands gripping the console, no longer typing or doing any kind of work.

"Turrians have better hearing than humans." Jane explained, "So what YOU think he can't hear, he actually can."

Kelly was decidedly flustered. "Why didn't you say something? You let me go on and on."

Shepard rested her head in her hands. "I TRIED. Honest Kelly I tried… I said your name twice, and to be fair I didn't know you were going to say the things you did." She looked down at her coffee and decided that she suddenly didn't want to stay up anymore.

Jane stood. "Well, I'm going to bed before my head explodes. Good night Kelly."

Kelly laughed, and Shepard was surprised to see how the Yeoman's embarrassment was suddenly gone.

"So do you agree?" she asked looking up expectantly at the Commander.

Shepard raised her eyebrows. "Agree with… what exactly?" She had a suspicious feeling she knew what was coming.

"You know… that Garrus is sexy." Kelly smiled wider as Jane blushed hopefully for the last time that evening.

"I… I'm… going to bed. Good night Kelly." Shepard said while walking very quickly towards the elevator, fighting the urge to run.

"That's not a 'no' Commander…" she heard Kelly's sing song voice as the elevator door slid shut.

Garrus slowly released the console, and pressed the door control. As the door hissed closed, he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He tried to sift through all his jumbled thoughts and make sense of everything he just heard.

Apparently… Kelly read Fornax,

The Commander remembered how good his hearing was,

And when Kelly asked Shepard if she thought he was attractive, she hadn't said no.

But she hadn't said yes either… But then again, she knew he was listening. So did that stop her from saying yes? Or did she not say no to avoid hurting his feelings? He had no clue.

He tried to decide if this changed anything between him and the Commander, other than the extreme awkwardness they were going to feel the next time they saw each other, it really didn't change anything. Also, he was going to avoid Yeoman Chambers for a few days, but that didn't bother him as much.

Garrus sighed deeply. They were going to Purgatory the next day and he needed to get some rest. Not that he thought he would be able to SLEEP after that, but he had to try.

Before he drifted off, he briefly wondered if Shepard would take him off her boarding team. He really hoped not.

The next day, Shepard set out her blood red armor, they were going to dock with the Purgatory station soon and she just wanted to be ready. She chose the color not because it was the color of blood, not because she had some kind of fetish for violence, but because it was just such a pretty shade of red. Choosing that color was the only vain and girly thing she had done since before she joined the military, and now that she was on a civilian ship she could wear whatever color she wanted.

Leaving her armor on the bed, she made her way to the armory and told Jacob that he was going to the station with her. Then she got back in the elevator and pushed the button for the third floor. Jane took a deep breath.

All she had to do was tell Garrus that he was coming on the mission. That wasn't hard, was it?

She exited the elevator and walked calmly towards Garrus' station. When she finally reached the door, and promised herself she wouldn't blush, she pushed the control to open it.

She was greeted with an empty room.

He wasn't there…. Why wasn't he there?

Shepard decided to go find him, or at least ask EDI if she could locate him. She turned around a little too quickly and ran straight into a very solid Turrian. He grasped her forearms to keep her from falling over.

"Oh, there you are Garrus. I was looking for you." She said, sounding every bit the Commander she was. She was pretty proud of herself. That was, until she noticed how hot his hands were on her arms.

"What do you need?" he asked.

Was his voice deeper? She really needed to focus. "Um… we're arriving at Purgatory soon and I was wondering if you were ok with teaming up with Jacob on the boarding team?"

He nodded. "Sure… but why Jacob?"

That was not a question she had been expecting.

"Because I need a biotic in case there's trouble." She explained, noticing that he had yet to let go of her. Instead his hands tightened, "Are you expecting trouble?" he asked. She laughed, "When have we ever gone somewhere, WITHOUT getting into trouble?"

He looked down at her with a look she didn't recognize.

Joker's voice came over the intercom. "Commander we'll be docking with Purgatory Station in ten minutes."

Shepard looked at the ceiling as if she could see him. "Thanks Joker." She said. She looked back at Garrus. "Well, I'm going to go get ready." He nodded. Jane cleared her throat, "Um… can I have my arms back?" He quickly let go of her.

"Sorry." He said, seemingly embarrassed. She just smiled and stepped around him. "I'll see you in ten minutes Garrus."

She didn't realize that he was watching her walk away.


	4. Purgatory part 1

First part of Purgatory.

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Garrus made his way to the airlock. He saw Jacob and Shepard standing by the door. She was wearing the deep red armor she had become so fond of recently. She looked good in red, he realized, something about it just seemed to fit her personality.

And from the look on Jacob's face, Garrus wasn't the only one who thought the Commander looked good.

He bit back the growl that was building in his throat. Jacob reminded him of Kaiden. He remembered how that guy used to follow the Commander around all the time.

_Garrus was in the lower deck tinkering in the Mako when he heard the elevator door hiss open. He didn't care until he heard the quick light steps that he had become so accustom to while serving on the Normandy. He looked up and saw the Shepard approaching with a determined look on her face. _

_All she did was nod to acknowledge him then she lay down and rolled underneath the vehicle. _

_He was stunned. "Commander?" he asked looking under the Mako. She turned to him and pressed a finger to her lips, indicating silence. Just as Garrus stood up again the elevator returned, and Kaiden stepped out. _

_When he saw Garrus standing by the Mako, he smiled and walked over. _

"_Hi Garrus," he said. "Have you seen Shepard?"_

_Garrus paused and fought he urge to laugh, his mandible twitched from the effort. "Yeah, actually I have…" he heard her sharp intake of breath, it was so soft he knew Kaiden hadn't heard it. "She was on her way to talk to Joker," he continued, "if you hurry you can probably catch her before she moves on somewhere else." _

_Kaiden thanked him and hurried towards the elevator._

_Garrus reached down under the Mako and offered Jane his hand. She grasped it tightly; he dragged her out and set her on her feet. _

"_Thanks" she said dusting herself off._

"_It's not like you to hide Commander." He said, poking fun at her while she straitened her hair. _

_She raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah well, when someone doesn't understand the meaning of 'no' and follows you around all FREAKING day, I think that calls for a little bit of hiding." She leaned her back against the vehicle behind her. _

_Garrus was confused, he was under the impression that the Commander liked Kaiden and enjoyed spending time with him. He overheard from some of the female crew members that the L-2 was apparently very attractive for a human male. He figured the best way to get a straight answer would be to ask her._

"_Don't you like Kaiden?" he asked, studying her face. She rolled her eyes. "I like him in the way that I trust him at my back in the field, but that's as far as it goes." She sighed deeply. "All I did, was have a few completely innocent conversations with him, and he assumed that meant I was attracted to him."_

_Garrus crossed his arms. "But you're not."_

"_Exactly, but he can't seem to get that through his head."_

"_Why aren't you attracted to him?" He asked. She just quirked an eyebrow. "What I mean is," he said quickly, "is that according to the other females on board, he's very attractive."_

_She smiled sadly "There's more to it than physical appearance Garrus." She rubbed the back of her neck, which he had discovered she only did when she was hiding something, or when she was nervous. "Kaiden and I just aren't compatible. As I've already told him, but he seems convinced that I want him to chase me." _

"_Chase?"_

"_Yeah… that I'm playing hard-to-get" she explained. "Some human women like it when guys pursue them after they've already been rejected."_

"_But you're not like that." He said it more as a statement of fact than a question._

"_Nope"_

"_So what makes someone compatible?" he asked realizing that he was sounding repetitive with all the questions, but he wanted to know._

_She reached up and stretched her arms over her head. "I don't know exactly… for some people it's just a feeling, and for others it's more obvious like having the same opinions, or outlook on life."_

_Garrus was distracted by the curve of her waist. Hadn't she just said something? Right, they were talking about compatibility. "I'm not sure I understand… how is Kaiden not compatible?" _

_She laughed without humor. "For one thing, he sees the universe through rose colored glasses."_

_Glasses? Now he was lost. "What?" His confusion must have been evident on his face because she laughed again, but this time it was bright and cheerful and caused warmth to spread throughout his body._

"_It's an expression Garrus; it means that he only sees the positive side of things. I need someone who understands that there's just as much bad in the world as good." She sighed and looked towards the elevator. "Well, I suppose I should go and see if I can make it to my quarters before he finds me again. Thanks again for hiding me." _

_And she was gone again._

There was a hand waving in front of his face. "Hello? Garrus? Come in Garrus."

Startled he looked down at Shepard who was standing directly in front of him. She laughed. "Where were you just now?"

He was embarrassed. "Nowhere" How could he have let himself drift off like that? They were about to board Purgatory and he needed to be focused. Even if it was supposed to be a simple pick up.

She was still smiling. "All right then, let's go."

They left the airlock and proceeded to the entrance to the prison station. Shepard made her way down the hall way flanked by Garrus and Jacob. The group stopped as they were greeted by a group of guards.

"Welcome to the Purgatory, Shepard. You're package is being prepped, you can claim it shortly." One of the guards said. "As this is a high-security vessel, you'll need to relinquish your weapons before we proceed."

Garrus noticed Shepard lips pressed together, like they did when she was trying not to laugh. "I don't think so." She said.

A Turrian approached from behind the guards. "Everyone stand down," he said "Commander, I'm Warden Kuril and this is my ship." Garrus didn't like him, something about him seemed off. The Warden continued. "Your weapons will be returned to you on the way out. You must realize this is just a standard procedure."

Her hand subconsciously drifted towards her pistol. "It's MY standard procedure to keep my gun."

The Warden tried to stare her down, but she just stared right back. Garrus knew she wouldn't give an inch, but that didn't stop him for being just a little proud.

Kuril relented. "Let them proceed, our facility is more than secure enough to handle three armed guests."

Shepard was about to ask about Jack, but the Warden beat her to the punch. "We're bringing Jack out of cryo. As soon as the funds clear, you can be on your way. If you'll follow me to out processing for the pickup Commander."

She had a bad feeling about this whole thing, and she wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. Shepard nodded to Garrus and Jacob. "Let's go." She said.

The Warden led them into the facility. They made their way down a hallway with windows on both sides that over looked the various cells. Kuril was giving a commentary as they walked.

"Cell block two. As you can see, we keep tight control over the population." He gestured to a cell that was being moved. "Each prisoner's cell is a self contained, modular unit. I've blown a few out the airlocks as an example."

Garrus was trying to listen to the Warden, he truly did. But it was difficult when Jacob was watching the Commander like a varren watching a pyjak. He fought the overwhelming urge to punch the human male in the side of the head. How dare Jacob look at her that way, he was almost as pathetic as that L-2. There was no way she would ever go for that. Right?

Garrus stopped walking just in time to avoid bumping into Shepard. He noticed the Warden was still talking.

"We can put the whole place in lockdown on a moments notice… Nothing goes wrong here."

Garrus zoned out again as the Commander asked about details pertaining to Jack and the station. He glanced at Jacob and was relieved to find that the biotic had stopped ogling Shepard for the moment, and seemed more interested in two prisoners down below who were being held apart by some sort of force field. He honestly didn't care where Jacob's attention was, as long as it wasn't on her.

"Let's get on with this." He heard Shepard say. And they continued walking again.

"Have there been escape attempts?" Garrus asked, remembering the force fields. Warden Kuril answered without turning around. "We're in space. They have nowhere to go and they know it." He glanced at Shepard. "But still," he continued, "we exercise extreme caution. These are dangerous individuals. We have many ways to control the population."

When they passed through another door, the Warden stopped and turned around. "I'm going to confirm that the funds from Cerberus cleared. Out processing is straight down this hallway." He pointed down the hall, "just keep going past the interrogation rooms and the supermax wing."

The Warden looked at Shepard intensely, it was a look that Garrus recognized. He remembered having the same look on his face when he was deciding which sniper rifle to buy. Kuril didn't respect her or even see her as a person, he looked at her like an object.

He walked back the way they came. "I'll catch up with you later, Shepard."

Garrus watched the other Turrian leave. This was a trap, he could feel it all the way down to his bones. He turned to Shepard and found she was already looking at him.

"So…" she said, "trap?"

He almost smiled. "Trap." He agreed. "What's the plan Commander?"

The smirk on her face was wicked. "Spring the trap."

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Yes I know, I'm a horrible person. The next part will be up tomorrow I promise.


	5. Purgatory part 2

Here's the second part of Purgatory. Enjoy! :)

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"_So…" she said, "trap?"_

_He almost smiled. "Trap." He agreed. "What's the plan Commander?"_

_The smirk on her face was wicked. "Spring the trap." _

Shepard made her way down the hall, trying to calm her anger. After talking to some of the prisoners, she discovered that the Warden had been selling the convicts. From the way that bastard had looked at her, she had suspicions that he intended to capture and sell her as well. The very idea of belonging to someone as an object made her so angry, she wanted to literally rip the head off of his body.

Not that any of that changed anything, they still had to get Jack. After entering the "out processing" room, she gave a look to Garrus and Jacob making sure they were ready. As they reached the other end of the room, the door opened revealing a cell.

The Warden's voice came over the PA system. "My apologies, Shepard. You're more valuable as a prisoner than a customer." She waited for him to continue. "Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell. You will not be harmed."

Jane wanted to roll her eyes. Did he really expect her to just waltz in there and let him lock the door?

That was just insulting.

She checked the ammo on her assault rifle and clicked the safety off. "You can go to hell. I'll send you there myself."

Whatever answer he was expecting, it wasn't that one. "Activate systems!" he yelled and various guards came running into the room, followed by Mecs.

She ducked behind a desk as a guard shot in her direction. She fired a quick burst and her incendiary ammo lit him aflame.

Garrus took out three guards and looked back to check on the Commander. She had lit several opponents on fire and was now shooting at anyone that Jacob lifted into the air.

Soon the room was quiet, and she was gathering ammo from the dead bodies. She tossed a few cartridges to Jacob, then to Garrus. He glanced at her face, and was surprised to see how serious she looked. Usually she would make a joke or at least continue to be light hearted. It was just the way she was. Shepard was about to lead the group out of the room when Garrus said something that she didn't quite hear.

She turned. "What did you say?"

He cleared his throat. "I said 'seven'"

What? Seven? What did that mean? Unless…

She smiled "Are we comparing kill counts now?" She remembered they used to do that whenever they took down a pirate or mercenary base back when they were on the old Normandy. She loved it.

Garrus was glad the idea of a competition had brought back her usual spark. "Of course, unless you don't think you can handle it."

That got her attention. He knew it would. "Do Mecs count?" she asked.

"Yes, what prize do you want?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Loser polishes the Winner's armor and weapons."

His gaze was intense on hers, "Great, my armor could use a good shine."

She laughed, "We'll see." There was a moment when he was completely captured by her eyes. He felt like he was being pulled in. It wasn't until Jacob cleared his throat that they realized just how close they were standing.

She blinked a few times as if was getting her bearings, then she backed up a step and extended her hand. "Alright, Garrus Vakarian, I accept your challenge. May the best soldier win."

He shook her hand in a very businesslike way. "Indeed" he said releasing her hand to reload his rifle.

She turned and led the group out the door and down the hall. They arrived in a large room with a window overlooking the cryo chamber that Jack was supposedly in.

Shepard saw the main control for the cells and started towards it.

"Commander, if you hack those controls every door on the cell block will open." Jacob said

She started typing. "I need to in order to get Jack out of cryo, get ready." She pressed the necessary keys and a large mechanical arm lifted the cryogenics chamber out of the cell, revealing a young woman covered in tattoos.

"That's Jack?" Garrus asked, surprise evident in his voice. Shepard understood, with a name like 'Jack' she had been expecting a man too.

Recovering quickly, Jack broke out of her restraints and charged one of the three heavy Mecs that were standing below. There were sounds of crashing and gunfire but Jack was out of sight.

"We have to get down there!" Garrus said, but Shepard was already headed for the door. They did NOT come all this way to have Jack die on them.

When they reached the room where Jack was, all that was left of the Mecs was a few bits and pieces. Shepard took one look at the huge hole in the wall, and then went running through it. They went down a destroyed hall littered with debris and a few bodies. Coming across another absurdly large hole in the wall they entered one of the large storage rooms that the walkway overlooked.

There were guards and prisoners going at it. A few of them turned their attention to the newly arrived group. Jane and Garrus exchanged a look, one that said 'let the games begin'.

Shepard dove from cover to cover taking out enemies as the made her way around the room, meanwhile Garrus was picking off guards and prisoners from behind a crate with his sniper rifle.

She was up to sixteen kills when the heavy Mec was dropped into the room. It was at that moment that Shepard realized her mistake. She had been destroying anyone in her way, when she should have been making sure to kill guards and prisoners evenly. Now she was pinned down by guards and, while she was safe for the moment, once the Mec rounded the corner she was toast.

She looked around for back up, on the far side of the room was Jacob tossing a few guards around. There was no way he could get to her in time. She turned to spot Garrus at his position but he wasn't there. Scanning the area almost frantically she tried to spot him, had he been shot?

At that moment the Turrian jumped on the back of the Heavy Mec and proceeded to try and rip out its main circuits. Realizing what he was doing, Shepard kept the guards attention and took out five more of them. The exploding Mec knocked the last one out of cover and one shot through the head and it was over.

There was still distant yelling and various emergency alerts over the intercom but other than that the room was still. She walked over to where Garrus was sitting on top of the Mec. "You know that only counts as one." She joked. He looked up and laughed, if a little breathlessly. "Is it too late to change the rules?" he asked.

She offered him her hand to help him stand up. "Yes it is. Unless you just want to admit defeat now…" She trailed off and he took her hand. He could stand just as easily on his own but it was more about the gesture. "Never." He said.

They left and fought their way through another identical room and made an easier time of it, though Garrus did pull ahead of her in kill count.

Entering cell block one, Shepard saw Warden Kuril standing on a high platform shooting the few prisoners that had managed to make it that far.

He saw her and tried to take the shot, but she was too quick. She took cover while and he started talking.

"You're valuable Shepard; I could've sold you and lived like a king. But you're too much trouble. At least I can recapture Jack." He said, only shooting enough to keep them in cover.

She was pissed. "Not happening! You're a two-bit slave trader and I don't have time for it."

"I do the hard things civil governments are unwilling to! This is for the good of the galaxy!" He yelled, then the side doors opened and more guards came running in.

Garrus and Jacob went right, and Shepard went left. The guards were easy enough to take out, but once she tried to attack the Warden, there was a huge force field in the way. She took cover and started firing at one of the generators. It exploded and sprayed her with sparks, she contacted Jacob and Garrus over the radio. "Take out the generators!" she yelled, and her teammates concentrated their fire on the ones nearest to them.

She shield flickered and died, the look on the Wardens face was priceless. She reached for her sniper rifle the same time Garrus did. She wanted the kill shot, so she let Garrus fire first. It was a perfect shot, but all it did was take down his personal shields. Jane didn't bother hiding her smile as she put a bullet through Kuril's face.

They regrouped and made their way back to the Normandy. In the hallway outside the airlock they saw ran into Jack. Shepard shot the guard that was running up behind her, and Jack shifted her attention to the Commander.

"What the hell do you want?" she asked, obviously not in the greatest of moods.

Shepard holstered her weapon to show she wasn't aggressive. "You're in a bad situation, and I'm going to get you out of here."

"Shit, you sound like a pussy… I'm not going anywhere with you. You're Cerberus." Jack started pacing back and forth across the walkway.

Jane continued to try to be pleasant. "I'm here to ask for your help."

"You show up in a Cerberus frigate to take me away somewhere. You think I'm stupid?" Jack wasn't giving her an inch.

She decided to try something else. "This ship is going down in flames. We can get you to safety and we're asking for your help."

Garrus piped up. "We could knock her out and take her."

Shepard turned and looked at Garrus. "Don't help me." She looked back at Jack but was still talking to the whole team. "We're not going to attack her."

Jack smirked, "good move." She crossed her arms. "Look, you want me to come with you, make it worth my while."

Finally some progress. "Join my team and I'll do what I can for you."

Jack seemed skeptical "don't make promises you can't keep." Shepard walked closer while Jack continued talking. "I bet you're ship's got lots of Cerberus databases. I want to look at those files. See what Cerberus has on me." She crossed her arms. "You want me on your team, let me go through those databases."

"I'll give you full access."

Jack took on an aggressive stance, "You better be straight up with me." Shepard nodded, and Jack looked at the Normandy out the window. "So why the hell are we standing here?"

Shepard looked back at her team. "Move out."

After getting Jack her files and finding her suitable quarters, Jane took the elevator to her room. She was surprised to see a large sack sitting outside her door. After opening it she discovered that it was filled with various weapons and a set of Turrian armor.

There was a note on the top it read:

My fifty three to your forty six.

I win. You lose.

P.S. Do a good job, I would hate to have you start over.

Shepard read the note again. She had forgotten all about the contest.

"Garrus you bastard." Talking to herself as she dragged the bag inside her quarters.

* * *

Review please!


	6. Serrice Ice Brandy

Enjoy! :)

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Shepard was rummaging through the drawers in her desk. She had misplaced one of the books she was reading and wanted to knock out a few more chapters before she went to bed. Opening one of the lower drawers she saw a silver gleaming bottle. Pulling it out she realized it was the Serrice Ice Brandy that she had bought on Omega for Doctor Chakwas.

Grabbing the bottle she walked out of her room and stepped into the elevator. She pressed the button for the crew deck, and leaned against the wall. Most of the crew should be asleep by now and if the Doctor was already out then she would just leave it on her desk.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors hissed open. Jane stepped out and headed toward the Medbay. It looked like the light was on. As she approached the door, the sensor noticed her movement and opened the door for her.

Chakwas was sitting at her desk and turned and smiled at the Commander when she entered the room. "How can I help you Shepard?" she asked.

Jane smiled and held the bottle out in front of her. "I come bearing gifts." She said. "Sorry I didn't get it to you sooner, I got a little distracted after Omega." She handed her the bottle.

Chakwas looked closer at the silver label. "Serrice Ice Brandy?"

Jane sat down in the chair across from the doctor. "I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate you being on my crew." She said, "and how much I appreciate your friendship."

"I'll tell you what," Chakwas said holding up the bottle, "why don't we open this right now, you and me?"

Shepard stood, "You open the bottle, I'll get the glasses." She left the Medbay and walked to the kitchen. After grabbing two small cups from the cabinet, she went back and sat with the good Doctor.

Garrus rhythmically tapped the keys on the console. It was getting late but he was almost done with this particular set of algorithms, not that they weren't endless, but he broke them up into groups so he wouldn't go insane at the thought of typing constantly until the end of time.

Just as he shut the console down to get some sleep, Shepard's high musical laugh caught his attention. He noticed that it was coming from the direction of the Medbay, when he looked he could see the Commander and Doctor Chakwas sitting and talking.

As the two women knocked back a drink, he realized it was definitely more than talking.

The Doctor looked like she was telling a story, and Shepard laughed loudly again. He could barely hear what Chakwas was saying, only catching bits and pieces, but when Shepard laughed, it seemed to flow outward. Not in an obnoxious way like some human women did when they were trying to get attention, but in a way that showed she was truly enjoying herself and lifted the spirits of those around her.

He went back to his quarters and grabbed a mission report; he needed to read it anyway so why not read it at one of the tables in the mess? It didn't have anything to do with listening to Shepard's laugh which happened to make his blood heat. Really it didn't.

Jane couldn't contain herself as Chakwas told another hilarious story about med school. She was laughing so hard she almost spilled the brandy as she filled both their glasses again. As she handed it to the Doctor she took out her pony tail. It was getting uncomfortable, plus she was going to sleep soon anyways. So what did it matter?

Chakwas smiled. "It's been a long time since I've seen you with your hair down Commander, and yes I mean that both metaphorically and literally." She chuckled quietly at her own joke.

Jane smiled back at the older woman. "Hey, I've been known to relax now and again." She was starting to feel a little tipsy.

"I'm sure." The doctor said sarcastically. "But you have such beautiful hair, you should really wear it down more often."

Shepard ran her fingers through the red-brown strands. "I guess I'm just used to wearing it up because of Alliance regulations… do you think it looks better down?"

"Why? Is there someone you want to impress?"

Jane blushed and she wasn't even sure why. "Um… I just… no… nobody I can think of." She poured two more glasses effectively emptying the bottle. When she tried to hand one to the doctor, she waved it away. "I think I've reached my limit Commander."

"Nonsense, it's the last one." She considered her glass carefully, "Let's have a toast… to friends" she said raising her glass and gently knocking it against Doctor Chakwas'.

"May we never take them for granted." The doctor added, drinking the last of the brandy. "Now, Commander, I believe it's time for me to get some rest. Don't stay up too late Shepard."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Okay, Mom."

Chakwas laughed and went to her quarters. Shepard stood and immediately grabbed the edge of the table as the world began to sway. She didn't understand it, she had been drinking for years. There was no way this amount of alcohol should be affecting her so much.

She made her way to the door and it opened automatically. Leaning her shoulder against the frame, she took a deep breath. She could at least go to the kitchen and grab a cup of water. That should help her clear her head. Jane stumbled on the way to the kitchen but made it in one piece. She didn't notice, however, that a certain Turian was watching her every move.

Garrus was still 'reading' the mission report when he noticed that the Commander and Doctor Chakwas were done talking. He looked up as the door hissed open, Shepard came out looking a little disoriented. He watched her walk to the kitchen, she kept tripping but it was never more than a slight hiccup in her step. She grabbed a cup and filled it with water from the faucet.

After draining the glass Jane set it by the sink, and rested her head against the cabinet.

"Are you alright Commander?" a deep flanging voice said behind her. She jumped almost knocking the glass over. As she ran her hand through her hair she turned around and glared at the very amused Turian sitting at the mess table.

"While I appreciate the heart attack, Garrus, what are you doing up?" she said walking slowly to the table, intent on not stumbling again.

"Just reading." He replied, setting down the mission report that he really didn't care anything about.

She reached the table and tried to sit down, but the pitching of the room was making it hard to balance. So she sat on the floor. Garrus stood quickly. "Shepard are you alright?" he asked going around the table to help her up. She sighed. "I'm fine Garrus, just a little drunk I guess."

"You guess?"

"Yeah… the thing is I don't understand WHY." She put her hands behind her and leaned back, stretching out her legs.

Garrus smirked."Well Commander, when the body ingests alcohol…" His voice was patronizing, like he was talking to a five year old.

She rolled her eyes and kicked his foot."Shut up Garrus I know HOW, but I've built up my tolerance to alcohol over many years, my reaction shouldn't be this strong."

He thought for a moment. "But isn't that a new body?"

She slapped her forehead. "Oh… right… why didn't I think of that?"

"Probably because you're under the influence of alcohol." He said sarcastically.

She gasped as something occurred to her, "I guess that means I'm a virgin too." She laughed at herself.

Garrus' mind was blank, that hadn't occurred to him.

"Are you going to stare at me all night, or are you going to help me up?" She reached her hand up and waited for him to grab it. He just stared down at her with those predator eyes.

Jane wiggled her fingers. "Come on, I don't bite." His warm hand wrapped around hers. "Well… USUALLY." She continued. In his surprise he pulled her up a little too fast, and she swayed against him. Her hand came to rest on his chest and she suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing his armor. She could feel his plating through the thin material of the shirt.

She looked up at his face. He had an expression that she couldn't decipher. She realized she was staring at him. She cleared her throat nervously, and ran her hand through her hair. His eyes tracked the movement.

"Can you help me sit down?" she asked.

Garrus blinked a few times to bring himself back to the present. Shepard had said something about biting, and his mind conjured an image of her biting his neck or running her teeth over his fringe. Now she was pressed against him… Hadn't she said something? Oh yeah, sitting down. He helped her to one of the chairs and sat in one beside her without a word.

Only after she sat down did he notice her hair was flowing around her shoulders, other than being pulled back like it usually was. He wanted to touch it, badly. Before he knew what he was doing he ran his talons through the silky red-brown strands. She stiffened in surprise but laughed it off, "Garrus, why are you so interested in my hair?"

She didn't sound angry just curious. So he left his hand where it was, he didn't want to move it anyway. "I guess it's because humans are the only species I know of that has it." It was easier to explain it to her when he had used the same reason to explain it to himself.

She smiled. "That makes sense." Being as tipsy as she was, she probably would have agreed to any reason he gave.

While he was distracted with her hair, she reached up and lightly ran her fingertips over his fringe. He shuddered and his hand stopped moving, a growl building in his throat. Jane immediately pulled her hand back and apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean… was that offensive?"

Garrus looked embarrassed. "Umm… no it wasn't… I just… I should go get some rest." And with that he stood and walked to the main battery and closed the door.

Shepard sat their stunned. She hadn't meant to offend him, she just had a moment of stupid curiosity. She should have asked first, she thought, she probably just did something horribly wrong in Turian culture. She stood, finding the room slightly steadier than before, and made her way to the elevator. She promised herself she would make it up to him tomorrow.

Garrus braced his hands against the railing of the gun battery. He took deep breaths, trying to cool down his suddenly over heated body. His instincts had almost taken over, he could have hurt her. It had surprised him when she touched his fringe, but he never expected that it would have been so… stimulating. It wasn't like it had never happened before, but he could recall a time when it had been as intense.

But he had walked away from her without an explanation.

Sure, he had been trying to protect her, not to mention confused by his own reaction, but it was rude and she deserved an explanation. He would apologize in the morning.

* * *

Review please!


	7. Korlus

Sorry it took me so long... I had a MAJOR case of writers block...

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Shepard woke with the biggest headache she'd had since her new body. She groaned and rolled over looking at her clock. She didn't have to get up for another hour, but there was no way she was getting back to sleep without painkillers. She would have to go ask Doctor Chakwas for a bottle of aspirin.

Thinking about the doctor brought the memories of last night back in a flash of mortification. She didn't know what to do. She had no idea how bad of an offence it had been, or what to do to make up for it. She thought briefly about looking up Turian culture on the extranet but dismissed that idea immediately. If she did that, then she'd feel like she was circumventing the problem. It would just be better if she just faced it head on, like she was used to, and talked to Garrus.

She put on her casual uniform, oxymoron that is was, and headed towards the elevator.

Garrus paced in his quarters. He had no idea what he was going to say Shepard. He had wanted to explain his behavior but he couldn't think of a way WITHOUT explaining… other stuff. He sighed, and braced himself for the inevitable. He knew she would want to talk. If there was ever a problem with the crew she always faced it head on and confronted it, where as other superiors would have made someone else deal with it.

The door hissed open and Shepard walked in.

"Hey Garrus, do you have time to talk?"

He studied her face. She didn't look angry, she just looked determined… like she was preparing herself for something. "Sure Commander." He replied turning to face her.

"About last night…" She said, Garrus opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand. "I just wanted to apologize for offending you, and I promise it won't happen again."

Garrus was… surprised to say the least. Though he could see how him walking away without an explanation, could be interpreted as taking offence. He had a bit of a dilemma. He could either let her think that he HAD been offended or he could explain the truth to her.

He decided to go with the first option.

"It's fine Commander." He said, "I accept you're apology." He felt bad, but he knew that once he'd said it was fine she wouldn't dwell on it. She just wasn't that type of person.

She smiled. "Good"

Just as she started walking away EDI popped up. "Shepard, we have arrived at Korlus."

"Thank you EDI." Jane said.

"Do you want me to gear up, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"No that's alright, I've decided to take Jake and Mordin on this one." She said turning around to face him. That surprised him. "What why?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "Because, I haven't taken Jack on a mission yet and Mordin is a useful tech expert."

As soon as she said that, Garrus felt foolish. It wasn't his place to be questioning who his Commander took on missions. But why did he feel disappointed that she wasn't taking him?

"Good luck, Commander." He said.

She smiled. "I'll see you when I get back."

And she left.

As soon as the shuttle left the Normandy he started pacing.

Thirty minutes later he tried to get some work done, but couldn't focus. He sighed, what the hell was wrong with him? It had never bothered him this much before when she went on missions without him. Sure he had worried, but this was irrational. He couldn't think straight. He kept thinking that all she had for back up was a convicted murderer/ psychopath and a random Salarian that she hadn't known for more than a month.

She KNEW she could trust him. So why did she leave him behind?

He resumed his pacing.

Several more hours passed and he still couldn't get any work done. He had moved his pacing to the window overlooking the shuttle bay, practically jumping out of his armor when the doors opened and the shuttle flew in. He frowned at his own reaction. Why was he acting this way?

He saw her step out of the shuttle and stretch.

Garrus spun on his heel and headed back to his station before she noticed him watching her.

Shepard stepped out of the shuttle and stretched, popping her back. They hadn't gotten the warlord but they had been able to snag the genetically engineered Krogan in the tank. Oh well, it was better than nothing.

She was headed for the gun batteries before she even realized it. Why did she suddenly feel the need to talk to Garrus? She didn't even know what she would say… lately it seemed like just being around him was… she didn't know what it was. But it made her feel better no matter how hard a day she'd had. So why was she suddenly second guessing things? She sighed and turned back to the elevators, pressing the number for her quarters. She needed to think for awhile.

The next day she went down to the cargo hold. Protocol or no, she needed information from that Krogan.

"Open the tank EDI."

EDI's blue orb popped up on the wall. "Are you certain Shepard? Protocol clearly states that-"

"I know," Shepard said interrupting the AI. "Open it anyway."

"As you wish."

The tank hissed as the liquid drained. The glass popped open and before she knew it Jane was pinned against the wall with a Krogan arm against her neck.

A few minutes later Shepard walked to the mess hall rubbing Medigel on her sore neck. Grunt, as the Krogan was now called, had been pretty rough before she could talk him down. So now there was a yellow purplish bruise forming just above her clavicle. She knew that without broken skin, the gel would only help the bruise fade and not get rid of it completely.

She sighed, and headed to the fridge. Grabbing some orange juice she sat at a table and thought about the mission. On more than one instance she had found herself about to say something to Garrus only to have him not be by her side. She missed their witty banter more than she wanted to admit. Not only that, but he was an incredible shot and she loved the little competitions they would have.

Jane turned and looked towards the gun batteries. The door was open and she could see Garrus working. She wanted to go talk to him, and why shouldn't she? They were friends and it was perfectly normal to want to be around him.

Right?

Making up her mind, she drained what was left of her juice and walked towards the Turian.

Garrus was leaning over his console typing algorithms, if he heard her behind him he made no indication of it.

"Hey Garrus you got a minute?"

"Actually, Shepard, I've got to finish these calibrations… maybe later?"

She was surprised. He usually talked to her whenever she came by. She sighed, if he wanted to talk about it he would and she wouldn't pester him. She started to walk away when she suddenly heard a growl. Turning at the sound, Jane saw Garrus looking very intently at her collar bone. She knew that the dark bruise barely showed above the neckline of her shirt.

"Who hurt you?" His voice was harsher than she was used to hearing and she didn't know how to respond. He walked towards her and used a talon to pull down the collar of her shirt exposing the full bruise.

She whacked his hand away fighting back a blush. She wondered if he had any idea how inappropriate that had been. "Garrus I'm fine, it's just a bruise."

He growled again. "There's no way you got that while wearing your armor so that means it was someone on the ship." His voice grew increasingly angry at the thought of someone on the Normandy laying a hand on Shepard. When he first saw the purple and blue marring her pale skin, he saw red.

She raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter with you? I told you it's nothing."

She'd never seen him act like this… sure she'd seen him angry, but this seemed different somehow. It was almost like he was being protective or something. But that was ridiculous, there was no way that he should feel protective over HER. She was the COMMANDER after all…

She looked at Garrus and crossed her arms. "If you really want to know, then fine." She sighed and leaned against the wall. "I woke the Krogan that was in the tank and he attacked me." She held up her hand when Garrus opened his mouth to speak. "I was able to talk him down and he agreed to join the crew." She looked at his face and saw some of the anger fade.

"Talk him down?" he asked. "Were you armed?"

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I'm ALWAYS armed Garrus… this isn't my first barbeque you know."

"What?"

She laughed, and he felt warm all of the sudden. "Never mind. Just don't worry about a couple of bruises ok? I can handle more than you think."

That just made him want to see just how much she COULD handle. He shook his head to clear his mind from the gutter. He looked at her and realized she was still talking.

"… to Illium next and you're welcome to come when we go for the assassin, and the justicar."

He nodded and she smiled.

"Great well I'll see you in about seven hours then, good night."

She stretched as she started to walk away, her shirt lifting slightly showing the small of her back.

He had to shake his head a little harder.


	8. Illium

Ok so the times of slow writing are over! I finally have some regular free time so I'll have (at the very least) one chapter a week. :)

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Shepard stepped out of the Normandy airlock with Garrus and Grunt at her side. She spoke to the Asari that was there to greet them discovering that Liara was there and that she wanted to talk. Jane wasn't too exited; she and Liara had never really talked much aboard the old Normandy, so she didn't expect some kind of special reunion or anything.

She was right.

Liara was working for the shadow broker now, and she had gone from an almost innocent young adult to something harder and colder.

But she didn't want to dwell. She had asked about the assassin and the Justicar and had gone on her way. It was obvious that she was no longer the teammate she had known.

It turned out, the Justicar's name was Samara and they found her trying to track down a fugitive that was being helped by the Eclipse mercs. They made their way through the base to look for information concerning Samara's target. After a few bouts with explosions of red sand and one crazy, but amusing, Volus, they finally got the information they needed.

A few hours later the Justicar was safely on the Normandy and it was time to go after the assassin.

The team arrived at the bottom of Dantius towers just as the sun was starting to set.

Shepard thanked the Asari that drove them and waited for Grunt and Garrus to exit the vehicle. After they stepped up next to her she gave them each a nod and started forward. They hadn't even traveled reached the front doors when Jane saw several very panicked looking Salarians. Just as she was about to rush forward to see what the problem was, the Salarians were taken down by Mecs.

The Mec hounds started racing toward her and she pulled out her pistol and started firing.

They made progress up the tower, fighting little pockets of mercenaries along the way. However, the further they went up, the larger the pockets became. Soon Shepard ordered her team to spread out instead of following close behind her. She could tell Garrus didn't approve of being separated but she knew she would still be able to watch his back. Plus it would be easier to kill more Mercs this way.

Running from cover to cover she watched as Garrus and Grunt took out the Mercs like they were bored. She smiled to herself and continued shooting.

She ran out of ammo, and was too far from Garrus for him to toss her more. There was a body of a Merc about three feet from her cover, and she could see the thermal clips on his belt she dove out of cover, grabbing the clips with one hand and tossing a grenade with the other.

Suddenly one of the Mercs set up a portable turret. She was the closest to the group so it immediately started firing at her. She ran to a pillar to use as cover, but the turret tracked her movements and cut her off, then started pelting her as her monitor started beeping.

Her shields were down, and she needed to find cover fast. She dove behind a row of crates and tried to catch her breath. It wouldn't take long for her to recover, she would just have to trust Garrus and Grunt to distract them until then.

Jane looked at her shield generator, it still hadn't rebooted yet. She growled in frustration when suddenly she heard a hissing sound to her right.

It was an explosive canister.

She cursed and tried to dive away, but it exploded before she could get far. Her armor took most of the damage, but a piece of shrapnel tore through and lodged itself in her back. She hissed in pain and started firing her pistol, knowing that there was nothing to be done until the fight was over.

She looked and saw Grunt charge ahead into the Mercs knocking them over like bowling pins then firing his shotgun directly into each of their faces, effectively ending the battle. Just as she was wonder where Garrus was, he crouched by her side.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

She tried to twist and a sharp sting shot up her spine, it hurt but she could feel that it wasn't in too deep."Yeah, so if you could pull that metal shard out of my back, that would be fantastic." She was trying to be sarcastic through the pain.

He peeled her armor back and examined the wound. "Are you sure you want me to be the one to do this?" He didn't want to hurt her more than she already was.

She almost rolled her eyes. "Well, I can't reach it, but if you think Grunt would do a better job…." She gave him a look and he sighed.

"Fine. Just don't blame me if there's permanent damage." The talons of his right hand gripped the shrapnel and pulled straight out in one quick movement, trying to cause her the least amount of pain possible.

She gritted her teeth and exhaled sharply. He tossed the offending piece of metal on the ground as she waved off his apologies.

He looked at the wound and was relieved to see that it wasn't overly deep. When he had first heard the explosion near her position he had looked up as a reflex, even though he knew her shield would have been more than enough to protect her from the damage. But when he saw her face contorted in pain, the next thing he knew he was crouched by her side, he didn't even killing the three Mercs who were between him and the Commander.

"The Medigel is on my belt." She said still holding her armor out of the way so he could fix her up. He grabbed the pack of medicine and started to spread it over the tear in her otherwise flawless back. She sucked in a breath that he knew must be from pain, so he added more of the healing substance and tried to be as gentle as he could while still getting the gel in the area that needed it.

Shepard tried not to move as Garrus spread the Medigel on her injury, but she involuntarily sucked in a breath when his hand came into contact with her back. It wasn't, however, from pain. That was already fading. She wasn't expecting how good the feel of his incredibly warm hands would be against her bare skin. Sure, she had felt their heat before but only through her clothes. And then he started being gentler, and even though the amount of gel already applied was sufficient enough to repair her injuries, she didn't ask him to stop. She wasn't sure she even wanted him to.

Garrus was distracted by the feel of her soft skin under his talons. He realized in some corner of his mind that her wound must be healed by now, but he couldn't bring himself to stop touching her. Her skin was smooth and pliable, so unlike his Turian plates. The way it gave and rebounded under his talons was fascinating. He wondered if the rest of her would be just as enjoyable to touch.

Just as the thought crossed his mind he came to his senses and pulled his hand away, and helped her put her armor back in place. He tried to shake the thoughts and feelings he had been having, but it was no use. He knew he couldn't look at any of her bare skin again without wanting to run his hand over it.

He saw her clear her throat and blink a few times, like she did when she was trying to come back to her senses. It was strange. She must have been in more pain than he thought if it fazed her that much. He hoped that while on this mission, if she did get another injury, she would be able to reach it herself.

The team continued up the tower and found some frightened Salarians on the way. Shepard was impressed with the assassin. He saved the workers and managed to stay one step ahead of her this whole time.

They finally reached the penthouse where Nassana was waiting behind her desk surrounded by Mercenaries. A brief conversation later Shepard came face to face with the assassin as he decimated the rest of Nassana's security, killing her in the process. He was obviously very talented.

Garrus watched the Commander as she spoke with the drell. He saw the way her eyebrow quirked, the way it always did when she found something interesting, when he had dropped down from the ceiling like some fucking angel of death. Then the drell had said that he was dying, and she expressed her concern.

Did she have to be so NICE to everyone?

He cursed the direction his thoughts were taking. Of course she was being nice. She was, by nature, a kind hearted, generous person. He sighed inwardly, he needed to get himself under control. It wasn't her fault that kindness could be seen as a prelude to something else, no matter how much he wanted to rip apart anyone who looked at her sideways.

What was wrong with him?

"Garrus?" her voice shook him out of his reverie. She was looking at him with a questioning look, and he realized that Grunt and Thane were already halfway out the door. "Are you coming?" she asked gesturing to the exit.

"Of course, Commander."

Back on the ship, Garrus decided to go to the mess hall to grab something to eat, but found it was already occupied by the Commander, and Kelly. The two of them were talking… well, Kelly was talking. Shepard was reading a data pad and looked like she was trying to ignore the chattering Yeoman.

He didn't have to get very close to hear what Chambers was talking about.

"He's so dangerous, but like, in a SEXY way." Kelly said dreamily.

Jane rolled her eyes. She didn't really want to hear how "sexy" Kelly thought ANOTHER member of her crew was. Not that Kelly cared that Shepard wasn't paying attention.

"I just want to peel all that leather off his body, one inch at a time." The Yeoman continued.

Shepard sighed, sometimes she could swear that Chambers did this just to make her uncomfortable. She set down her data pad. "Kelly, as you know, I don't have any problem with fraternization on the ship, but don't make a habit of trying to sleep with all the crewmembers you happen to find attractive." Chambers opened her mouth to argue, but Shepard held up a hand. "I'm not saying that that's what you do, I'm just saying that if you truly want to spend time with someone in particular, then do so. Otherwise, I really don't want to hear about all the things you want to do Thane."

Kelly shrugged, "But I haven't even gotten to the part about when I read on the extranet."

Just as Jane was looking for a way out she suddenly noticed Garrus digging out a Turian friendly meal from the fridge, with an odd look on his face.

He looked smug.

Garrus found a plate of some familiar food in his section of the fridge and couldn't help but feel a little feel a little strange. When Kelly had been talking about HIM, Shepard had gotten flustered and was eager to end the conversation. However, when she was talking about Thane, she had still wanted to end the conversation but it was more of a mild brush off than an embarrassed retreat.

He turned around and saw her looking at him with a pleading look.

He realized what she wanted, "Commander I need your help with something in the gun batteries." He said taking his meal to his area.

She smiled, relieved."Of course, Garrus." She stood immediately. "Goodbye Kelly, it was… nice talking to you." She walked quickly after Garrus, fighting the urge to jog away from the other woman. When she reached his side, she lowered her voice so the Yeoman wouldn't hear. "I think I owe you my life, Garrus. Or at least my sanity."

He chuckled quietly, "oh, again? How many times is that now?" He walked through the door and closed it behind them.

She laughed, "I don't know, but any more and I'll have to be your slave for life."

There was an awkward silence as she thought about what she just said, and as he pictured her as his slave.

Garrus cleared his throat nervously, "So… Kelly likes Thane now huh?"

Jane sat down on the edge of a crate. "It seems so, are you upset about losing a fan?" she tried to sound like she was joking but her voice was a little tense. If he noticed, he didn't mention it.

He laughed deeply, his flanging voice seemed to make the air vibrate. "Not at all. I feel sorry for the poor bastard who has to deal with her advances."

Shepard visibly relaxed and he looked at her curiously. "She should be gone now, if you want to go back to your cabin…" he said.

She raised an eyebrow, "trying to get rid of me Garrus?"

Actually he was. Having her in such close quarters with the door shut was taking its toll on his self control. Not to mention her hair was down again, and he could smell her shampoo from where he stood. At least if she had had her armor on it wouldn't have been so bad, what with her strangely enticing curves completely covered by thick protective layers.

When he didn't answer her, she sighed. "All right, I don't want to overstay my welcome." She smiled and walked out leaving him to eat his meal alone.

Jane made her way around the ship to check on the crew and see how everyone was doing. Eventually she found herself in the lower decks talking to Jack. They were in the middle of a conversation when out of nowhere a loud crashing sound could be heard on the floor above.

Shepard looked at the biotic. "What was that?"

Jack shrugged. "It's probably that fucking Krogan again. Every couple of hours he just starts throwing stuff." And she went back to her cot as Jane rushed upstairs to see what the problem was. She reached the door that lead to the cargo bay and opened the door without hesitation. She immediately regretted it as a crate was hurdled towards her face, she dropped to the floor just as it went sailing over her head.

The banging stopped and she stood and went into the room.

"Grunt! What the hell is your problem?"She yelled as she spotted him standing with it hands braced against the wall.

"I don't know." He ground out. He stood looking out the window, observing the shuttle bay. "I feel… violent." He said, and Shepard raised an eyebrow. He continued "More than usual I mean… I don't know what's wrong with me."

One minute he was looking out the window into the shuttle bay and the next he head butted the glass causing a large crack to appear. It would have shattered if it hadn't been reinforced to stand up to explosions.

"See? Why did I do that?" he asked gesturing towards the window.

"Do you think someone on Tuchanka can help you?" she asked.

"Yes… Tuchanka, the birthplace of my people. If there is something to be done it will be done there."

Shepard turned her radio on with a click. "Joker, set a course for Tuchanka."

"Sure thing Commander." He answered.

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Review please!


	9. Tuchanka and back

Ok so I made this chapter extra long to make up for not writing for so long.

I hope you like it!

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Garrus was seething.

She chose Thane. THANE. Over him, to go with her to Tuchanka. She hardly KNEW the guy but she was willing to trust him on the battlefield?

He was still pissed about their conversation.

"_Look, I know you're going stir crazy being cooped up around here, but the arid conditions are perfect for Thane's condition and I need to take him off the ship." She said placing her hands on her hips. "Besides, it should be quick. All we have to do is figure out what's wrong with Grunt, fix it, and then get the hell out of dodge." _

_He gave her a look that told her exactly what he thought about her 'plan'. Since when has anything ever gone that smoothly? He wanted to be there to watch her back. He couldn't be sure she was safe otherwise. _

_She sighed, "As much as I want to take you on every single mission, I can't." she smiled. "Plus, if the opportunity arises, I need to see the full extent of Thane's abilities."_

_He assumed that by 'opportunity' she meant a battle._

_A battle where she could get injured and Thane would have to take care of her._

_He wasn't sure which image made him angrier, Shepard injured again or Thane's hands on her._

_Her smile faded. "Look, if it means that much to you, I promise that I'll take you on the next mission so you don't get cabin fever." _

_His hands clenched into fists._

_He wanted to yell that it wasn't about that. He NEEDED to be there. He didn't TRUST the drell or the Krogan to take a bullet for her, or keep track of her movements in the midst of a battle to make sure she wasn't surrounded, or keep her from going off the deep end by cracking a joke or making sure she never ran out of ammo ever again._

_All the things he did and tried to do to keep her safe._

_But she had left anyway, with the assassin trailing behind to the shuttle bay. He wanted to punch something._

He STILL wanted to punch something, over four hours later.

Garrus walked up to the bridge, he didn't know why. But he told himself it was definitely because he wanted to hear if Shepard had radioed in. Just as he approached the back of Joker's chair, he heard her smooth voice crackle over the radio.

"Looks like we'll be here awhile longer… It seems that Grunt needs some kind of rite of passage." There was static as she paused. "I'll radio again when I find out more."

"Ok Commander." The pilot replied. Joker swiveled in his chair and visibly jumped when he noticed Garrus standing directly behind him. "Jesus! What the hell Garrus? Do I need to put a bell around your neck?" A comical smile spread across the man's face as he pictured the Turian with a bell on.

He wasn't in the mood, after glaring at the pilot, he stalked away while Joker murmured something about sticks.

Shepard put down her radio and sighed. She felt bad about leaving him behind, again, but it just wasn't practical for him to ALWAYS be there. Even if she wanted him to be. She needed to make time for the rest of her crew also, plus if she was going to trust her other team members she needed to take them out or nothing would get accomplished.

She looked at Thane who was watching her intently. They were waiting for Grunt to finish talking with the Shaman so they could finish his rite and get on with the mission.

"So what do you think of the Normandy?" she asked trying to start a conversation.

His face was impassive. "It seems like a very capable ship, with a good crew."

She sighed again, wishing Garrus were here. He would keep her entertained and make this little side trip go by much faster.

She glanced at Thane again, he was still looking at her, still unreadable.

"What?" she asked, a little more harshly than she intended.

He raised an eyebrow in question, but otherwise didn't say anything.

She sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't… I'm just stressed… sorry."

"No apology is necessary Shepard, but perhaps you would like to talk about what is bothering you?"she looked at him for a moment, he seemed genuine so she took a deep breath.

"It's Garrus," She said, "we're really good friends but lately he's been getting pissed off about the smallest things. On the first Normandy he never questioned my ability to make decisions or protect myself…"

Thane clasped his hands behind his back. "So you are saying that he is being over protective."

Jane frowned. "Um… yeah I guess. That's one way of looking at it I suppose."

Thane quirked an eyebrow again. He wasn't an expert on Turian social customs but it seemed clear to him that Garrus was beginning to be much more than a protective friend.

Joker sighed, in the last hour and a half Garrus had come to the bridge over seven times. Each time he had given the Turian the same answer, no news from Shepard. On his eighth visit the pilot finally snapped and told him to 'sit his ass down or go away' so now Garrus was sitting by the AI terminal burning a hole in the side of Joker's head with his glare.

Just as Jeff was about to kick him out of the bridge the radio crackled again.

"Come in, Joker."

The pilot glanced at Garrus who was looking at the console with interest. "Go ahead Commander."

"So it looks like this 'Rite' consists smashing a 'keystone' into the ground and shooting whatever it attracts." She explained.

"Are you sure that's safe?" he asked.

A sharp bark of laughter came over the line, "Of course not, which is why I'm not letting Grunt do it alone. I'll contact you after it's done."

"Take care Commander." Joker said, signing off. He turned around to find that Garrus had already left.

Garrus cursed under his breath. He knew he shouldn't be doing this to himself. If he didn't stop worrying about her it would drive him insane.

But seriously? Did she even KNOW what creatures were native to Tuchanka?

He decided to blow off some steam in the workout room by the cargo bay.

Lately, It seemed like he needed to 'blow off steam' a lot more often than he used to. He visited the room almost regularly when on the old Normandy he had been comfortable with just tinkering with the MAKO.

Whatever it was that was making him act this way… he shook his head. He KNEW why he was like this…

Jane.

He couldn't get her out of his head no matter how hard he tried. He sighed again, and stepped into the elevator headed for the cargo bay.

"Ready, Shepard." Grunt growled waiting for her to press the keystone for the third time. She looked at the trigger to the keystone ruefully. They had already fought Varren and some giant crab-looking things and she had no idea what was next.

"One second Grunt." Shepard answered, gathering ammo from the lower level. As soon as she made sure both her teammates were fully stocked, she smacked the button sending the giant stone column smashing into the ground while vibrations shot through her feet.

Holding her rifle steady, she waited for whatever creature or creatures would arrive. Then the ground started shaking again. She heard an all too familiar screech and looked up to see the huge head of a Thresher Maw rising from the ground fifty yards away.

"Take cover!" she yelled and her team broke apart each finding shelter behind a stone pillar. The Thresher maw launched a glob of acidic spit at the spot where they had been standing.

Shepard swore under her breath, in the past she had always had the aid of a Mako to defeat any Thresher maws that they encountered while exploring. She fired her assault rifle with incendiary rounds, aiming for its head. Just as she thought she was beginning to do some damage it shot back into the ground and moved to the other side of the arena.

She saw Grunt and Thane firing, slowly taking down the animal's defenses. Shepard ran to another area, now that her cover was useless against the new angle of attack. Her teammates moved to new positions as well.

Jane whittled down the Thresher maw's defenses then ducking behind the cover of the metal structure in between pillars.

Shepard looked up as the Thresher turned its attention to Grunt who was firing and screaming obscenities at the beast. She noticed the creatures natural armor was starting to weaken and fall off in large bloody pieces.

It was time for the kill shot.

She whistled sharply and immediately had the attention of the animal. It turned and came at her, intent on swallowing her whole.

Shepard pulled out the rocket launcher strapped to her back and started firing into its gaping mouth, down its throat.

The head exploded and rained intestines and some kind of goo for one hundred meters in all directions. She took a deep breath and looked around at her team. Thane was unscathed and Grunt only had a few minor scratches.

All in a day's work.

She gathered her team and they made their way back to the Normandy.

After being treated by Dr. Chakwas for some minor burns and scrapes Shepard stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for her the CIC, completely oblivious to the other occupant.

"Commander?"

She would have jumped it she wasn't exhausted. "Joker, I was just coming to see you." She smiled looking over at the pilot leaning against the opposite wall.

He looked at her expectantly.

"I would like to stay in the area and scan the planets in this system for supplies." She said trying not to sound as tired as she felt.

"Sure thing, Shepard." He smiled and hobbled out of the elevator when it stopped at the second deck. If it had been anyone else, she would have offered to help them get to wherever they were going, but Joker didn't want it or need it.

She always liked Jeff. He was a good man and a kick ass pilot. And if she was on a bus ride to the ass end of hell she couldn't ask for a better driver.

The next morning she was idly scanning planets when she heard someone approaching from behind. Turning in the chair she saw Kelly looking over her shoulder.

"Do you need something Kelly?" Jane asked.

She smiled. "Not me, Commander, but Mordin wishes to speak with you."

Shepard stood. "Thank you, I'll go see him now."

"Need to go to Tuchanka." Mordin stated looking up from his computer.

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that we were JUST there? Why do we need to go back?"

Mordin sighed and went on to explain about the new genophage and his colleague being captured.

Jane was angry that the Salarians had updated the genophage but now wasn't the time to bitch about something she couldn't change.

Since having Mordin on this mission was a given, she only wanted one person to fill the empty slot.

Shepard stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the crew deck, she remembered how Garrus had been upset the last time he hadn't been able to go on a mission. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to let him get off the ship.

Arriving on the crew deck she made a bee line for the Turian's station, only to find it empty. She considered searching the ship, but a faster method came to mind.

"EDI" Shepard said to the console on the wall. EDI's blue orb manifestation popped up.

"Yes Shepard."

"I need you to locate Officer Vakarian." She said, his formal title feeling awkward coming out of her mouth. She realized then that since the old Normandy was destroyed, she had only called him by his first name.

Not that it was important.

EDI paused for a moment, probably searching the ship with her sensors. "Officer Vakarian is in the cargo bay, in the exercise room. Would you like me to contact him for you?" She asked.

Jane nodded. "No thank you, I'll just go see him."

"Logging you out."

Garrus panted hard under the strain of the simulator. He was fighting a virtual Turian, his same size and weight.

For the third time in a row.

He just couldn't seem to work out all of his 'frustrations'.

He was so focused on fighting he didn't see the woman stand just off the mat, which was the range of the simulator. She calmly walked to the control panel and pressed the pause button. As the virtual Turian came to a standstill, Garrus stopped and looked around.

Jane took a moment to look at him. He was out of his armor, which was unusual, but he wasn't wearing civvies either. He had on black pants that form fitted over his muscles and spikes, his chest was bare. She realized she was staring, but she couldn't help herself. His chest was covered in overlapping plates of his natural armor. They were sort of a dark brownish grey, with silver undertones.

She wanted to know what they felt like.

"Do you need me for something?" he asked, the flanging effect of his voice making her heart skip a beat.

She met his eyes, a little embarrassed that she was staring, but refusing to blush. "Do you need a partner Garrus?" she asked gesturing toward the still frozen simulation and completely ignoring his question.

His body tightened, "I… uh… didn't thing that you'd be interested in sparring Commander." He thought of the implications of fighting her, for Turians that was like foreplay.

She smiled and stepped onto the mat. "What's the matter?" she asked "afraid you can't take me?"

His blood grew hot. If only she knew what she was doing, he thought as he got into a classic fighting stance. It was all he could do to not pin her to the ground underneath him. He would do his best not to hurt her, but he wasn't sure if he could control his instinct to have her submit to him.

She looked him over once more and cracked her knuckles, "Bring it on." She said.

He charged, intent on taking her down quickly but she stepped out of the way at the last minute and kicked him in the back.

Had she always been that fast?

He spun as she swung another kick at his head. Garrus grabbed her ankle and used it to knock her off balance. Jane twisted taking him down with her and she ended up underneath him with one leg over his shoulder. He froze for a second, and then couldn't get off of her quick enough.

"Shepard! Are you ok?" he asked. He probably broke her in some horrible way, he thought.

She laughed and shifted to get up. "Yeah I'm fine, Humans are… bendy… kind of like Asari."

He watched as she stood. She was flexible like as Asari? Well that was definitely one image that would keep him from ever getting any work done for the rest of eternity.

She walked over to him, misreading his train of thought. "It's all right," she put her hand on his shoulder. "You didn't hurt me."

He was thankful that she couldn't read his thoughts. "So was sparring the only reason you came down here?" he asked.

"No, we have to go back to Tuchanka. Mordin's colleague may have been kidnapped and we're going to rescue him." she said, he could tell that she wasn't looking forward to it.

He tensed, "Are you leaving me behind again?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yes Garrus, I came all the way down here JUST to tell you that you're NOT coming."

He was thankful that he learned about sarcasm on the first Normandy.

"Well I guess I should go get ready then."

Mordin watched the Commander and Officer Vakarian with interest on the shuttle ride down to the surface. He noticed the Turian's body language, leaning toward Shepard when she spoke and staring longer than appropriate for a leader-subordinate relationship. With Shepard, she was constantly touching Garrus on the arms or shoulders when she was discussing something or just when she was nearby. While Mordin knew that touching was common in Human culture, he had not seen her interactive at this level with any of her other crew. Perhaps it is a courting relationship, he mused, should offer assistance, and likely neither had much information about interspecies relations.

They exited the shuttle and began walking through the dusty ruins when the com crackled.

"Clan Urdnot had increased in strength since you're last visit." EDI stated over the radio. "In addition, killing the Thresher Maw has produced several breeding requests for Grunt. And one for Shepard."

Everyone stopped walking.

There was an awkward silence.

Jane felt an amused grin spread across her face. "EDI, did you say that I have a KROGAN breeding request?" she asked a laugh bubbling in the back of her throat.

"Yes Shepard" the AI answered calmly.

"Well… WOW. How would that even work?"She asked, not directing the question at anyone in particular.

Mordin spoke up. "The male Krogan…"

Shepard interrupted him. "Whoa! No no no… It was a rhetorical question Mordin. I don't actually want to KNOW."

Joker's laughter was rang over the comm. "Oh Shepard… what did you DO? Do they even know that you're human?"

Jane scoffed. "Of course they know I'm human, jack ass, I'm not exactly in disguise here." She turned to look at Garrus and all the humor faded from her when she saw the fury in his eyes.

"Garrus are you alright?" she asked.

He turned and stalked away, he needed air. He would have given almost anything to run into the Krogan who made the request, just so he could beat him into a bloody pulp.

"What's wrong?" he heard her call after him.

He kept walking until he was out of sight, and leaned against the wall. The very idea of a Krogan laying its hands on Shepard was unthinkable. He watched as she rounded the corner, concern evident on her face.

She stepped close and put her hand on his shoulder. "Talk to me, Garrus… please."

He looked at her, studying her. Her eyebrows were drawn together like when she was thinking about something serious, or when she was worried. Dammit, he didn't want her to worry about him.

He sighed looking away, "The breeding request…." He trailed off as the 'worried' look faded and she pressed her lips together tightly, she was trying not to laugh again.

He growled and pushed away from the wall intent on walking away.

She pivoted and grabbed his arm, turning him back towards her. "Oh come on, it's a LITTLE funny."

His eyes met hers with a predatory look that made her heart beat a little bit faster. She wondered if he was still angry as he slowly took a step towards her. She hadn't even realized that she moved back until her shoulders came in contact with the wall.

Garrus slowly braced his hands above each of her shoulders, as if waiting to see how she would react.

"Which part is funny?" he asked, the sound of his flanging voice suddenly making her toes curl. "Is it the part where another species might find you attractive?" his voice was low and she had a hard time focusing.

Well, he certainly didn't seem angry.

"First of all," she said, surprised and proud of how steady her voice sounded, "the fact that it's a 'breeding request' is funny because I wouldn't be able to 'breed' with a Krogan." She continued, "And secondly, I would NEVER do anything like that."

His stomach dropped. He felt relieved and disappointed at the same time. Of course Shepard wouldn't want to mate outside her own species, even thinking about it was… what? Strange? Wrong?

He looked down at her and realized that she wasn't done talking.

"I mean, I've never been one for casual sex and there's no way in hell I would sleep with anyone just because they were impressed that we killed the Thresher Maw." She said.

He blinked.

"Wait," He said slowly, "so the whole 'separate species thing' doesn't bother you?" He knew she would probably never go for a Krogan, but if she didn't care about species...

She raised an eyebrow, "Should it?" He didn't realize that she was baiting him, gauging his reaction.

He looked down at her, noticing how close they were, with his hands braced behind her on the wall. All he would have to do was lean down a little and their foreheads would be touching.

She wouldn't understand the significance but he could just…

"Garrus?" her voice was surprised and confused.

Ah. He stopped growling, a little embarrassed that it had started up without his knowledge.

He cleared his throat and pushed away, giving her space. "Right, well we should probably get going." He turned and walked away leaving Jane staring after him.

The rest of the mission went by quickly, they found the Salarian who was never kidnapped in the first place, and Shepard convinced Mordin not to kill his protégé. The shuttle ride back was quiet, Shepard stared out the window and Garrus stared at her.

Mordin made a mental note, they were definitely courting and he would help them.

* * *

Review please!


	10. Helpful Mordin

there are several very good reasons that this chapter was delayed so badly... first of all college is a bitch, thats all I have to say about that. Secondly, Im really nervous about how this will be recieved so I put it off.

I hope you like it :)

* * *

Shepard sat at her computer replaying the events of the last mission through her mind for the fifth time. Well, the thought, not exactly the mission itself but more of the incident beforehand. Why had Garrus acted that way? And why did it make her heart want to jump out of her chest? When her back was against the wall, all she could think of was how much heat she could feel radiating off his body and how much she wanted to feel what was under that damaged armor.

"Commander Shepard." EDI's voice suddenly filled the otherwise dead quiet room.

Jane leaned back popping her back and stretched. "What is it EDI?"

"Dr. Solus wishes to see you in his lab."

She sighed and stood up from her chair. "Tell him I'm on my way."

EDI opened the cabin door for her. "Very well Shepard, logging you out."

As she rode the excruciatingly slow elevator down to the CIC, Jane thought about what the scientist could want. It couldn't be the lab or his equipment; she had just recently upgraded those. Maybe he wanted to talk more about what had happened with his assistant on Tuchanka. She could tell he had been upset about the ordeal but she was glad he hadn't killed the other Salarian.

She exited on the second deck and walked towards Mordin's lab. He looked up at the hiss of the door and nodded to acknowledge her.

"Shepard, glad you're here. Wanted to talk. Aware that mission is dangerous." He took a deep breath. "Different species react differently to stress."

Wait what?

"Sexual activity normal stress relief for humans and turians. Still recommend caution. Warn of chafing."

She raised an eyebrow. "Humans and turians? Mordin what are you talking about?" she asked, bracing her hands on the lab table. Should she know where this was going?

"Have been observing interactions between you and Officer Vakarian. Both exhibiting classic pre-mating behavior."

Ok… well, she could admit to herself that things had changed between her and Garrus… and the thought of 'MATING'…

Well that made her warm in places she didn't feel like exploring at the moment.

She cleared her throat. "Do you… uh… do you have a recommendation as a doctor?" Hell, she could play along. Plus, it would end this conversation a whole lot faster than trying to brush him off.

He seemed pleased that she asked. "Turians based on dextro-amino acids. Human ingestion of tissue could provoke allergic reaction. Anaphylactic shock possible." He paused. "So don't… ah… ingest." She had been sure he was going to say 'swallow'.

Well it was official. There was no way for her to get through this conversation without blushing.

Her brain kept supplying her with images of occasions where 'ingesting' might be a possibility.

He continued. "Also forwarding advice booklet to your quarters. Valuable diagrams, positions comfortable for both species, erogenous zones overviews."

If the Collectors didn't kill her, embarrassment sure would.

"Can supply oils or ointment to reduce discomfort. Gave EDI electronic relationship aid demonstration vids to use as necessary." He said.

'Demonstration vids'? He couldn't mean… No, no he wouldn't send her PORN would he? Did Salarians even know the difference between educational material and porn?

She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Well Mordin… thank you for your… ah… advice." Her face felt hot.

He smiled, "enjoy yourself while possible Shepard. Will be here, studying cell reproduction. Much simpler. Less alcohol and mood music required." He handed her a small stack of data pads.

Jane left the tech lab as quickly as she could, willing her face to cool. She was concentrating so hard on not blushing that she nearly collided with Garrus as he was exiting the elevator.

"Garrus!" she said perhaps a little too loudly, as several crew members turned their heads before moving on. She cleared her throat. "What are you doing up here?"

He looked down at her and his blue eyes looked like they could pierce right through her, and she noticed he was out his armor and wearing casual clothes. "I was just on my way to see Mordin." He said. His voice, coupled with the images Mordin put in her head, made her shiver internally.

At first she thought about stopping him, knowing what Mordin wanted to talk to him about. Part of her didn't want him to go through the human version of the 'Turian sex talk' she had just received, but a bigger and more surprising part of her did. If only just to see how he would react. It was possible that he felt the same way she did… unlikely, but possible.

She smiled, feeling a little less flustered. "Well, you don't want to keep the good doctor waiting… I'll talk to you later." She brushed past him into the elevator and pressed the button for her quarters. As the doors slid closed she sighed heavily and leaned against the wall.

Their next conversation was going to be incredibly awkward. Then again, it would only be awkward if she let it… she glanced at the data pads in her hand. It couldn't hurt to look at a few of the diagrams…

Garrus touched his arm where she had brushed him on her way to the elevator. She felt so delicate out of her armor, so fragile. It made him want to make her wear her planet side gear all the time. On the other hand, that would mean he wouldn't be able to 'accidentally' brush against her when they pass in the corridors, savoring the feel of her softness.

He shook his head of such thoughts, Mordin needed him for something. He headed for the Salarian's lab.

The door hissed open and he walked through. Mordin glanced up from his computer screen.

"Officer Vakarian! Glad you're here. Just had conversation with Shepard. Need to give you similar information."

Garrus had no idea what the Salarian was talking about.

"Information about what?" he asked.

"Mating, of course." Mordin replied, like they were discussing the weather patterns of a particular planet.

"Shepard's going to mate with someone?" His blood began to boil at the very idea.

"Yes. Have seen you two together. Exhibiting classic pre-mating behavior for hormone driven species."

"What?" Mordin was talking about HIM and Shepard? Spirits, how he wanted that to be true… being around her was… he didn't think that he had ever craved a Turian female the way he did her, but he had thought that it was all one sided. Was he wrong?

"Will forward same demonstration vids that were sent to Shepard. Also must warn you, Anaphylactic shock possible with ingestion of human tissue. Gave similar advice to Shepard."

He thought about how she had looked when he ran into her. She had been flustered, he could tell, but she didn't seem offended… in fact she had seemed fine, or in a good mood at least. So what did that mean? If she was fine after talking to Mordin about THIS, did that mean she liked the idea?

He wished this wasn't so hard.

After receiving a few data pads from Mordin, he headed back to his quarters. Suddenly curious about the information he held in his hands.

Jane sat in her quarters, scanning one the data pads until she reached the section about erogenous zones.

Really, she couldn't help it if she was curious. She tapped the screen and a rotating diagram was projected above the pad. The Turian was undressed, and fully aroused. It was huge, almost intimidating. She pulled up the information specific to that area and the hologram zoomed in.

Apparently, the genitalia stayed behind protective plates until the Turian was ready to mate. Which made sense she supposed, considering the rest of their bodies were armored as well. She studied it closer and saw that the shaft was covered in little ridges that grew denser towards the tip.

She also noticed the there was a little nub at the base; it looked like it was in the perfect position to rub her clit when he was fully inside her.

The thought made her shutter.

Other than the obvious, a few other areas were labeled as erogenous zones. They included the waist, the inner collar, the neck and the fringe… oh.

She distinctly remembered touching his fringe. As she read further, she found that Turians often growl when turned on, somewhat like a deep purr.

How many times had he growled around her? Especially when they were alone… like on Tuchanka, when she was pressed against the wall…

A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of how warm he had been so close to her, and how much she had wanted to just wrap her arms around him and press her body against his. She frowned; she probably would have too, if they hadn't both been wearing armor.

She set down the datapad and turned to her computer, looking at the file folder holding the 'demonstration vids' that Mordin had sent her.

She took a deep breath through her nose and blew it out her mouth. Might as well, she thought, it's not like it could do any harm.

She selected the first one and an image of a bed appeared, it looked like the camera was placed at the foot at little off to one side.

A naked Turian crawled entered the screen and sat on the edge of the bed, his plates were a little darker than Garrus' and he had green markings instead of blue.

The Turian offered one taloned hand to someone off screen, seconds later a woman with long black hair, placed her hand in his and sat next to him.

He ran his talons through her long black hair and down her back leaving faint pink lines in their wake.

The woman on screen reached up to run her fingers along his fringe and the Turian shuttered, his lower plates shifting to accommodate his growing erection. Shepard watched as the two continued petting each other and the Turian's growling was growling progressively louder.

Suddenly he stood up, picked up the woman effortlessly and threw her to the center of the mattress. She bounced for a second and he crawled on top of her, flipping her over at the same time. He entered her in the next second and the woman let out a loud moan, pushing back against him.

Jane's breathing hitched as she pictured Garrus being that aggressive with her.

The Turian on screen pounded into the woman and sank his teeth into her shoulder. After the woman had a screaming orgasm, the movie ended.

Shepard looked at the blank screen for a full minute before she selected the next one.

Two decks down, Garrus stared riveted at the screen as the woman impaled herself repeatedly on the Turian beneath her. Then the on screen Turian shifted their positions, stretching the woman's leg up over his shoulder; with her underneath him.

Garrus couldn't help but notice the similarity to the position he had Shepard in when they were sparring.

The thought of her writhing beneath him made his pants a little tighter.

The woman in the video didn't do much for him, although he supposed she was similarly shaped to Shepard. But, it was so much more than that.

He didn't want Jane for some mindless fuck to relieve pressure…

He wanted her heart.

Jane went down to the training room to work out some of her 'excess energy' by running a few miles on the treadmill.

Panting hard she looked down at the mileage counter and realizing she had run twice as far as she intended. She pushed the stop button and stepped off the machine.

She walked to the elevator and sighed, realizing that her workout had done nothing to kill her raging libido. She leaned against the wall and pushed the button for her quarters. On the way up however, it stopped at the third deck.

The crew deck.

She tensed as the door opened and sure enough, there was Garrus. His piercing eyes met hers and her breathing hitched. He hesitated for a second before walking in to stand next to her.

Shit, this could only be awkward if she let it, she tried to remind herself.

But what the hell was she supposed to say?

Not to mention that having him so close was wreaking havoc on her heart rate.

She wanted nothing more than to wrap her legs around his waist and do some of the things she saw in those videos.

It was all he could do to stand still.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Her skin was flushed and glistening with sweat. How flushed would her skin be when he was inside her?

He glanced over her form, everything about her made his heart stutter and his breathing hitch. Spirits, he wanted her. He HAD to say something, he wouldn't let fear of rejection stop him from trying.

He cleared his throat. "Shepard I-"

The elevator jerked to a stop.

Shepard clicked on the radio in her ear. "Joker? What's going on?"

"I'm not sure Commander, must be a bug in the electrical system."

Oh, a bug. Right, she thought, and her mother was a Quarian.

"Joker."

"Yeees?" Came the reply, sounding overly innocent.

"Move the damn elevator." She had to get out of here before she threw herself on top of Garrus.

He spoke haltingly. "….can't….o that Commander…. Comm. System….. brea….up…." crackling noises filled the channel and she shut her radio off with a sigh.

Well, if that wasn't the WORST fake static she had EVER heard.

Joker leaned back, putting his arms behind his head and smirked. He'd probably keep them in there for half an hour… that should about do it. The Commander was probably going to kick his ass, but sometimes people just needed a little push.

* * *

the next chapter is probably going to be the last one, and yes it is the 'main event' so to speak.

review please!


	11. Thank you Joker

This was by far the most difficult chapter to write, but here you go.

* * *

Jane took a deep calming breath.

Right… Calm… just how calm can someone be when they're trapped in a small confining space with their best friend who they may or may not be considering sleeping with?

God, she could practically FEEL him looking at her. She turned her head, and sure enough there were his ice blue eyes staring back at her. Sometimes she felt like those piercing eyes could look into her very soul and read her every thought.

Something needed to be said, she knew, but she was currently drawing a blank.

Garrus could feel her tension. It was practically radiating from her.

"Shepard" he started, "I need to apologize."

She glanced up sharply, obviously surprised.

He continued. "You are… what I mean is… Spirits, how do I say this? I've come to care for you a great deal, and I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable I just-"

"Garrus" she said, quietly but firmly. He shut up immediately, tensing when she turned and placed her hand on his chest, looking up into his eyes. "You could never make me uncomfortable" she said.

The next thing she knew, she was up against the wall with Garrus' arms tight around her waist. "This doesn't make you uncomfortable?" he growled in her ear.

She shuttered and suddenly felt like she was out of breath. "No." she managed, sliding her hands up to his shoulders when he looked down at her in surprise.

She smiled and his heart stuttered. "There's no way you can make me uncomfortable Garrus, because there is nothing you can do to me that I haven't already imagined."

He didn't say anything and she wondered if she went too far.

Then she was being held tight against him as he nuzzled her throat and growled deep in his chest.

He loved her. And he realized that he always had.

That's when he made the decision. He would ask her to be his life-mate.

"Shepard", he started, "I… I need to ask you…"

Suddenly the elevator jerked into motion almost knocking them off balance.

EDI's voice came over the comm.

"Commander, I have repaired the malfunction that allowed Mr. Munroe to manipulate the elevator." Her simulated voice had never sounded more annoying.

The doors slid open to the CIC and Jane heard Joker yelling all the way at the bridge. "Dammit EDI! You always ruin my fun!"

Garrus looked over at Jane. He wanted to go to her quarters, even if he could just hold her.

Shepard glanced in Garrus' direction to find him studying her. She reached past him, and pushed the door-close button.

Once they were sealed inside the elevator again, she selected her quarters and they began to rise.

He reached for her, but she quickly had her arms around him and started stroking his fringe.

He shuddered.

"Stay with me tonight." She said. It didn't come out as a question, but he knew she would never use her authority in such a way.

He smirked. "Is that an order, Commander?" he asked as he ran a taloned hand down her spine.

She stiffened for a second, and then relaxed into him. "You know it's not. And I think it's time you start calling me Jane."

The elevator reached the top level of the ship and the doors slid open. She dragged him into her quarters and wasted no time getting his shirt off. Her hands were all over his chest and shoulders, feeling the lines and ridges of his plating. Then her hands drifted down to his waist and squeezed gently.

Lust shot through him and he silently thanked Mordin for having them watch those videos.

When she did it again, his breath jerked from his lungs in a hard, panting rhythm and he picked her up, clutching her high against his body. Jane wanted to scream from the wild rush of anticipation, but at the same time she melted with relief. It seemed as though all their interactions, everything they ever said to each other had been building toward this moment. She realized that she loved him, ever since they had grown so close on the original Normandy.

She thought back to all the times when she wanted nothing more than to be near him, and how he made her heart, beat both faster and slower at the same time.

She was pulled back to the moment when she felt his hands grip her waist, his long flexible talons biting into her flesh as he held her against him. She wrapped her legs around his hips; a husky cry breaking from her throat as she inadvertently rubbed herself against the thick ridge behind the seam of his pants.

"You could end up getting hurt." He panted against her shoulder. Her skin seemed so delicate under his claws, her body completely without any outward armor like his own species.

She would have laughed if her mind wasn't already muddled with him pressing against her. "Garrus," she said, "I've battled everything the universe has thrown at me so far, I think I can handle anything you can dish out."

His mandibles flexed in the Turian equivalent of a smile and she smiled back, kicking off her boots and reaching for the hem of her shirt. Realizing she couldn't strip without falling, she placed her hands on his shoulders and gently unwrapped her legs from his waist.

Garrus watched her walk towards the bed when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Glancing at the glowing, blue fish tank, he was glad to see that Jane had actually kept her fish alive for once.

She cleared her throat.

He turned and caught sight of her body, completely bare on the bed. With the blue glow from the tank dancing across her skin, she looked like a dream, and he prayed to the spirits that he didn't wake up.

Hunger sharpened the rugged angles of his face, making him look dangerous in a dark predatory way. But she wasn't the least bit intimidated.

With a coarse growl vibrating deep in his chest, he pulled off his pants. She stared, fascinated… dazed, at the shocking primal beauty of him, and he grabbed her pulling her against him and running his hands down her bare back, reveling in her soft plate-less skin.

He made a low, purely male sound that shuddered through his big, powerful body, and opened his eyes, staring down at her with a fierce expression of need.

Garrus ran his heavy gaze up the length of her body, devouring her with his eyes, at the same time he ran his tongue over the sharp point of one deadly incisor, reminding himself how easily he could hurt her.

Jane smiled and pressed her forehead to his. She sensed he was worried. Backing into the bed, she let herself fall on her pack and pulled him with her. He caught himself above her on his hands and knees.

Struggling to keep some shred of control in his grasp, Garrus crawled over her, caging her beneath his body. He'd tried so hard to hold back but he couldn't. He held his breath as he went in, pushing against her resistance, unable to believe it could feel so good. The reality was so much better than he'd ever dreamed. She was hotter, tighter, more perfect than anything he'd ever felt before.

He feared that she had ruined him for his own species.

Not that it mattered, because now that he had her, he wasn't ever letting her go.

Battle hardened muscles clutched at him in a possessive greedy hold, and yet, she was endlessly soft… tender.

"You can barely take me," he grunted, putting his strength behind the relentless push of his thick shaft into the tight opening of her sex. She was warm and slick, easing his way, but he knew he had to be careful not to hurt her.

"What's the matter Garrus," she asked breathless. "Can't take the pressure?" she punctuated the word _pressure _by squeezing her inner muscles.

He gasped and bucked involuntarily, gripping her hips so hard she knew there'd be bruises later. "Spirits Jane, are you trying to kill me?"

She smiled and he saw her eyes were filled with affection. "You're tougher than you look" she said stroking the scarred side of his face.

He growled affectionately, and nuzzled the smooth curve of her shoulder. She was so soft, so warm and he wanted to brand her forever as his.

Once fully inside, he stopped, taking all his will power to do so.

"Why did you stop?" she asked breathlessly.

"I have to ask you something." He said, practically shaking with the effort not to move.

She arched her back to try to create some form of friction. "Now?" she asked, frustrated that things weren't moving forward.

"It's important." His eyes were intense, and she stilled.

He continued, determined. "Jane I- I love you, with you be my Life-Mate?" his heart stopped as he waited for her answer, not to mention he was fighting a losing battle with his desire to take her as hard as possible.

Jane's mind was going a thousand miles a minute. It was more than she had ever hoped. From what she knew of Turian culture, 'Life-Mates' was a bond stronger than marriage. And she never thought he would tell her he loved her.

Garrus felt his heart go cold, she wasn't answering. He braced himself for the rejection that he felt was sure to come.

"Yes."

He looked down at her, unable to believe what he so badly wanted to hear.

She smiled and the sight sent a flush of heat through his body, reminding him of their current position.

"I love you Garrus, and I always will." She said, wrapping her legs around his waist. The shift in angle allowed him to slide even deeper than before, wrenching a gasp from her throat.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he started thrusting slowly.

She grasped his shoulders like a lifeline. "Yes I'm sure, now if you don't move faster I'm going to spontaneously combust." And she bucked hard against him.

His hips rolled, and he shoved in harder… faster, his muscles flexing beneath his stiff plates.

A moan broke from her throat, her body writhing, on fire, desperate for completion, and he clutched her tighter, a low, primal vibration shuddering through his hard, heavy form. "Jane," he breathed against her skin, his chest heaved, hips shoving against her, his body thrusting powerfully into hers.

She cried out, the pleasure rising so violently, it made her scream. She was distantly aware of the sound of rending fabric, and realized he'd buried his talons in the sheets. He thrust into her so hard that he shoved her across the mattress, his movements primal and wild. The friction was so slick and hot and breathtaking, she couldn't find her way through the chaotic frenzy of pleasure.

Clawing at the hard surface of his shoulders, Jane struggled to hold on in a world that was spinning violently out of control. He pressed down on her, anchoring her in place and she loved it. All of it. Loved the provocative power of him covering her… consuming her.

Suddenly, he threw his head back as a deep, guttural roar surged up from his chest, his hips shoving him deep, driving him fully into her. Jane stared up at him, watching the dark raging beauty of his orgasm wash over him as he came deep inside her. Then she was thrown into the most violent, mind shattering climax of her life. For long endless moments, the dark waves of pleasure coursed through her, and she thrashed beneath him, holding on to him as he covered her with his hardness and heat, every muscle in his body rigid with the force of his release, his chest heaving as he gasped against her temple.

Trembling from his head to the soles of his feet, Garrus clutched her against him, unable to let go.

They made love throughout the long hours of the morning and afternoon, while the Normandy sailed to the next destination, both of them lost in the scorching, breathtaking burn of passion that bound them together.

* * *

Ok, so I wasn't planning on another chapter, but if I get enough requests I'll do an epilogue with the final battle scene and stuff.


	12. Epilouge

As the human reaper fell, crashing down into the cavernous abyss that was at the heart of the collector facility, Jane felt a wave of relief wash over her. It had taken nearly all their ammo to bring that bastard down, but they did it.

And now all they had to do was get their asses out of dodge.

That was the last clear thought that crossed her mind before the platforms tipped, hurdling them towards the edge like a child's toy. Then she saw him. Garrus was ahead of her, close to the edge; much to close. She didn't have time to think, she moved.

Garrus knew he was about to fall. He could tell he had slid far, and the platform wasn't that big. Just as he felt his body supported by nothing but air, a firm hand latched onto his wrist. Looking up into her fierce green eyes, so filled with determination, he felt his heart swell with love; despite the shit storm going down around them. He had to marvel at her strength as she pulled him up next to her and took a firm hold of his armor. Garrus looked over to check on Legion and saw that he was still holding firm, so he grabbed on to Jane and held tight as the platform plummeted.

There was a moment after the crash, between the eerie silence and realizing that he was still alive, that he noticed his arms were empty. He tried to sit up and frantically search for Jane but a metal beam was pinning him down. He was about to call out to her when the weight was suddenly being lifted, and she was standing over him with all the fierceness of an avenging angel. Legion dusting himself off behind her as she helped him up. He didn't know what he was about to say but as he opened his mouth Joker came over the radio.

"Do you copy?" he called, "Commander, come on Shepard don't leave me hanging. Do you copy?"

Jane let go of his hand as she turned and touched the radio at her ear. "I'm here Joker, did the ground team make it?"

"Everyone on board, we're just waiting for you."

Jane allowed herself a moment of relief, right up until she saw the seeker swarm headed straight for them. Then Harbinger's voice crawled up her spine.

"Human." God, she hated that bastard. "You've changed nothing." He continued, "Your species has the attention of those infinitely your greater."

Right, time to go.

Jane nodded to Garrus and Legion to start running as she took up the rear.

"That which you know as Reapers, are your salvation through destruction."

Well, he sure liked the sound of his own voice didn't he?

They sprinted, taking heavy fire from the rear. Just as she felt her shields go down, the ship rose into view. Garrus and Legion were ahead of her, but no more than ten paces. The airlock was already open with Joker laying down cover fire. Her teammates leapt inside.

That was when she felt the bullet slam into her leg.

She looked down and thanked her lucky stars it didn't penetrate her armor, but she was going to have one hell of a bruise later.

Garrus looked back and saw her running, with collectors and husks not far behind. How did she get that far back? He could have sworn she was only a few steps behind them.

Debris fell from above and smashed the platform connecting the ship to the walkway, knocking it down to whatever bottomless pit was beneath them.

Jane was running hard, her muscles screaming in fatigue, when the platform connecting the walkway to the ship was no longer there. She knew the gap was too large; there was no way she would make it. She could hear the collectors close behind her, and she considered her options.

Die there, or die trying.

She jumped.

Everything happened in slow motion; Garrus reaching for her, Joker firing rapidly, and the rumble of the station crashing down around them.

Suddenly she was yanked against hard blue armor and roughly shoved inside the airlock.

The door shut and Joker dropped the rifle and climbed into his chair.

"Detonation in: ten, nine, eight…" EDI droned. Joker grabbed the controls, "Yeah, I get the just of it EDI!"

Jane was aware of the ship moving away from the station, and bolting towards the relay; but only in the back of her mind. Mostly she was focused on the Turian pinning her to the wall with his body, quietly saying some sort of prayer that her translator couldn't pick up. She closed her eyes and felt the Normandy shift, as it did when entering a mass relay.

Garrus held her close. He wasn't entirely sure they were going to make it, and in case of the unthinkable; he wanted to have her in his arms at the end. But there was no crash, no explosion, and no bright light. Looking around he saw that not only were they safely in the space between relays, the crew was celebrating amongst themselves and shooting curious looks over at him and Jane.

Uncaring of who might be looking, he picked her up and headed toward the elevator. She gasped, "Garrus! What are you doing?"

"Celebrating." He growled as the doors closed. Immediately he began stripping her armor and his own.

The door finally opened on her floor and they stumbled into her quarters. They barely made it to the bed before he was on top of her. Jane had expected the animalistic frenzy of their first time together, but he ran his hand gently down her side and reminded her how much he loved her.

They moved slowly, taking their time with each other, making themselves crazed in the process.

After the third or fourth time, Jane was too sated to move and Garrus was lightly stroking her back while she rested on his chest.

"We still have to defeat the Reapers." She said, lifting her head to kiss the side of his mandible.

He smiled. "Of course." He tightened his arms around her. "It just wouldn't be right, if we didn't save the galaxy once and for all."

And so they did.


End file.
